Green Birdwatching Tourism WEB

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF BIRD-WATCHING
TOURISTS IN AUSTRALIA
Ronda J Green and Darryl N Jones
PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

BIRD-WATCHING TOURISTS IN AUSTRALIA
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National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry
Title: Practices, needs and attitudes of bird-watching tourists in Australia / Ronda J. Green,
Darryl N. Jones.
ISBN: 9781921658655 (pbk.), 9781921658655 (pdf).
Notes: Bibliography.
Subjects: Bird watchingAustralia. EcotourismAustralia. TouristsServices forAustralia.
Other Authors/Contributors: Jones, Darryl N. (Darryl Noel). CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd.
Dewey Number: 598.0723494
Copyright CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd 2010

All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review as permitted
under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any process without written permission from
the publisher. Any enquiries should be directed to:
General Manager, Communications and Industry Extension or Publishing Manager, info@crctourism.com.au
First published in Australia in 2010 by CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd
Printed in Australia (Gold Coast, Queensland)
Acknowledgements
The Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, established and supported under the Australian
Governments Cooperative Research Centres Program, funded this research.
Many thanks to all those bird-watchers who took the time to fill in our questionnaires. Also to all the tour
operators, members of bird-watching organisations and others who helped to distribute them. Thanks also to the
tour guides who responded to our questionnaire for guides.
ii

CONTENTS
ABSTRACT____________________________________________________________________________ VI
SUMMARY ___________________________________________________________________________ VII
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY __________________________________________________________________ VII
METHODOLOGY _______________________________________________________________________ VII
KEY FINDINGS ________________________________________________________________________ VII
FUTURE ACTION _______________________________________________________________________ VIII
INTRODUCTION________________________________________________________________________ 1
THE GROWTH OF BIRD-WATCHING TOURISM ___________________________________________________ 1
AIMS AND SCOPE OF THE CURRENT STUDY ____________________________________________________ 2
METHODS _____________________________________________________________________________ 4
QUESTIONNAIRES FOR BIRD-WATCHERS ______________________________________________________ 4
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR BIRD-WATCHING GUIDES _________________________________________________ 5
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS ________________________________________________________________ 5
RESULTS ______________________________________________________________________________ 6
RETURN RATE __________________________________________________________________________ 6
DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW ________________________________________________________________ 6
GROUPINGS OF BIRD-WATCHERS ___________________________________________________________ 10
Overview of responses________________________________________________________________ 10
Principal components analysis _________________________________________________________ 12
Dendrogram of bird-watchers __________________________________________________________ 15
What birds do bird-watching tourists want to see? __________________________________________ 16
How do bird-watchers decide where to go bird-watching?____________________________________ 20
What do bird-watchers prefer on a bird-walk? _____________________________________________ 23
Tour and accommodation choices of bird-watchers _________________________________________ 26
What equipment to bird-watchers have and where did they buy it? _____________________________ 32
How do bird-watchers feel their experience could be improved in Australia? _____________________ 32
Respondents opinions relating to conservation ____________________________________________ 33
Personal observations of bird-watching tourists with relevance to conservation ___________________ 35
DISCUSSION __________________________________________________________________________ 36
BIRD-WATCHER DIVERSITY: DEFYING THE STEREOTYPE _________________________________________
WHAT BIRDS DO BIRD-WATCHERS WANT TO SEE? ______________________________________________
WHAT DO BIRD-WATCHERS WANT ON BIRD-WALKS? ___________________________________________
HOW DO BIRD-WATCHERS DECIDE ON TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR BIRD-WATCHING ___________________
ACCOMMODATION AND OTHER EXPENDITURE ________________________________________________
PROBLEMS EXPRESSED BY TOUR GUIDES _____________________________________________________
HOW CAN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY ENHANCE BIRD-WATCHERS EXPERIENCES IN AUSTRALIA? ___________
BIRD-WATCHERS AND CONSERVATION ______________________________________________________
A FINAL NOTE _________________________________________________________________________
36
37
38
38
39
39
40
41
42
APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTED TO BIRD-WATCHERS________________________________ 43

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTED TO BIRD-WATCHERS ________________________________ 49
APPENDIX C: GLOBALLY THREATENED SPECIES IN AUSTRALIA__________________________________ 51
APPENDIX D I.: UNEDITED RESPONSES OF OVERSEAS VISITORS TO AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION ABOUT BIRDWATCHING IN AUSTRALIA ________________________________________________________________ 52
APPENDIX D. II.: UNEDITED RESPONSES OF BIRD-WATCHERS OF DUAL NATIONALITIES TO AN OPEN-ENDED
QUESTION ABOUT BIRD-WATCHING IN AUSTRALIA _____________________________________________ 54
APPENDIX D. III. UNEDITED RESPONSES OF AUSTRALIAN BIRD-WATCHERS TO AN OPEN-ENDED QUESTION
ABOUT BIRD-WATCHING IN AUSTRALIA _____________________________________________________ 55
REFERENCES _________________________________________________________________________ 58
AUTHORS_____________________________________________________________________________ 60
iii

List of Tables
Table 1: Numbers of respondents who have lived in Australia and elsewhere (n=256)____________________ 7
Table 2: Nationalities of respondents (n=256) ___________________________________________________ 8
Table 3: Geographical regions respondents had watched birds (n=201) ______________________________ 8
Table 4: Localities for which bird-watching was one of the reasons for visiting (n=190??). _______________ 8
Table 5: Regions from which completed forms were sent, as evidenced from postcodes on the envelopes _____ 9
Table 6a: Views expressed by more than 80% of respondents answering the question ___________________ 11
Table 6b: Views expressed by less than 10% of respondents answering the question ____________________ 11
Table 6c: Views expressed by approximately half the respondents answering the question________________ 11
Table 7: Opinions and preferences relating to bird-watching which showed a significant (P<0.05) correlation
with keeping a life-list [brackets indicate a negative correlation] ___________________________________ 12
Table 8: Results of Principle Components Analysis (SPSS) with absolute scores greater than 0.4 __________ 12
Table 9: Clustering of respondents by a common fusion dendrogram ________________________________ 15
Table 10: Percentages of respondents agreeing with specific statements (in descending order of preference) _ 17
Table 11: Importance of seeing birds unique to Australia by respondents who had lived and watched birds in
Australia and elsewhere ___________________________________________________________________ 18
Table 12: Groups of birds mentioned in response to the question about favourite memories of bird-watching in
Australia _______________________________________________________________________________ 19
See text for details of passerines _____________________________________________________________ 19
Table 13: Groups of birds mentioned in response to the question about birds that respondents would most like to
see in future observations in Australia ________________________________________________________ 19
Table 14: How bird-watching tourists decide where to go bird-watching _____________________________ 20
Table 15: Significant (and near-significant) results of regression analyses with decision-making responses as
dependent variable [bracketed factors are those showing a negative correlation] ______________________ 22
Table 16: Preferred places for bird-watching __________________________________________________ 23
Table 17: Respondents agreeing with various statements about the preferences while on a bird-walk _______ 23
Table 18: Frequency of complaints by bird-watchers as reported by bird-watching guides _______________ 25
Table 19: Behaviour of bird-watchers as noted by tour guides _____________________________________ 25
Table 20: Numbers of respondents who would go bird-watching alone or with a small group _____________ 28
of people in various world regions ___________________________________________________________ 28
Table 21: Total number of respondents who said they would_______________________________________ 29
always or never go bird-watching by commercial tour____________________________________________ 29
Table 22: Significant (and near-significant) results of regression analyses with opinions relating to guided tours
as dependent variable: df=225 ______________________________________________________________ 29
Table 23: Percentage of respondents who said they owned various items used largely for bird-watching ____ 32
Table 24: Responses to the open-ended question about what would improve the bird-watching experience
in Australia_____________________________________________________________________________ 33
Table 25: Responses to questions relating to conservation ________________________________________ 33
Table 26: Responses of guides to questions on conservation-related behaviour ________________________ 34
List of Figures
Figure 1: Age groups and sex of respondents____________________________________________________ 7
Figure 2: Percentage of respondents in different kinds of employment or study. N =157 __________________ 9
Figure 3: Responses to questions about connections with birds at home and at work feed birds refers to
providing food other than food-plants at home) _________________________________________________ 10
Figure 4: Frequency of respondents with different mean scores for the statements associated with group 1
(dedicated birders) in Table 7 _____________________________________________________________ 13
(thrill-seekers) in Table 7 _________________________________________________________________ 14
Figure 6: Relationship between groups 1 and 2 of Table 7. R2 = 0.09 _______________________________ 14
Figure 7: Relevant aspects of home-life of those with high (>0.7) and low (<0,3) scores for group 1 (dedicated
birder) of Table 7 ________________________________________________________________________ 14
Figure 8: Relevant aspects of home-life of those with high (>0.7) and low (<0.3) scores for group 2 (thrillseekers} of Table 7_______________________________________________________________________ 15
Figure 9: Proportion of male and female respondents in each of the five groups identified by the dendrogram16
Figure 10: Proportion of Australians and other nationalities in each of the five groups recognised by the
dendrogram_____________________________________________________________________________ 16
iv

Figure 11: Responses of the five groups identified by the dendrogram (Table 8) to grouped bird features ___ 17
Figure 12: Features of birds important to those scoring the highest and lowest on the dedicated birder scale18
Figure 13: Methods by which respondents with the highest (23 respondents) and lowest (30 respondents) scores
for dedicated birders decide where to go bird-watching _________________________________________ 21
Figure 14: Methods by which respondents with the highest and lowest scores for thrill-seekers decide where to
go bird-watching_________________________________________________________________________ 21
Figure 15: Preferences of those scoring very high (23 respondents) and low (30 respondents) on the dedicated
birder score ____________________________________________________________________________ 24
Figure 17: Opinions and preferences of respondents relating to guided tours _________________________ 26
Figure 18: Grouped responses of men and women to statements about tours __________________________ 26
Figure 19: Preferences and opinions regarding commercial bird-watching tours by those scoring high and low
on the dedicated birder scale ______________________________________________________________ 27
Figure 21: Responses to general statements about tours by the five groups recognised by the dendrogram___ 28
Figure 22: Responses to reasons for joining tours by the five groups recognised by the dendrogram _______ 28
Figure 23: Numbers of respondents choosing to stay in different classes of accommodation ______________ 31
Figure 24: Proportions of birders and nonbirders (as defined above) choosing different styles of
accommodation during their travels __________________________________________________________ 31
Figure 25: Proportions of thrill-seekers (as defined above) and other respondents choosing different styles of
accommodation during their travels __________________________________________________________ 31

Abstract
The practices and opinions of bird-watching tourists in Australia were investigated, largely through a
questionnaire returned by 256 respondents, of whom 164 were Australian by nationality, 55 were non-Australian
and 17 were of mixed nationality. A majority of respondents tended to be middle-aged to elderly, which may
reflect either the bird-watching population or the relative willingness to fill out questionnaires. A separate
questionnaire was sent to 42 nature guides who included bird-watching as at least part of their activities: 11 of
these responded. Bird-watching tourists participating in this survey were found to have a diverse range of
interests, but opinions held in common included a dislike for hunting, an interest in wildlife other than birds, a
disinclination to disturb nesting birds in an attempt to identify them, an expectation of bird-watching during their
next travels, an ability to identify most birds near their homes, and a willingness to join a commercial bird tour to
reach difficult places. Identifying birds, watching what birds are doing and enjoyment of social contact topped
the list of preferences for a bird-walk. Tendency to join a commercial tour was positively correlated with
enjoyments of social contact and with bird-watching being the respondents favourite activity, but negatively
correlated with tendency to frequently photograph birds. Camping and hotels were the major kinds of
accommodation (over eco-lodges and budget accommodation, dedicated birders being more likely than others
to choose camping and lodges rather than hotels. Travel agents were the least preferred sources of information
on where to go bird-watching, with travel books not faring much better, and several respondents complained that
information centres and tourist outlets (with some exceptions) often do not have much information on where to
see birds. Most respondents seemed concerned about conservation issues such as disturbance of nesting birds
and feeding in national parks, and guides reported few problems: however there is sufficient potential for
problems to suggest the wide dissemination of useful guidelines. One-eighth of the respondents, when asked
what would improve their bird-watching experiences in Australia, mentioned action on habitat clearing and other
conservation issues.
vi

SUMMARY
Objectives of Study
Investigate the diversity and common features amongst bird-watching tourists

Determine what bird-watchers, and sub-groupings of bird-watchers, most wish to see and do in
Australia
Investigate the role of the tourism industry in bird-watching, especially relating to information on
birding sites, willingness to join commercial tours and preferred accommodation
Investigate bird-watchers opinions and practices in relation to conservation aspects
Methodology
Questionnaire distributed throughout Australia for bird-watching tourists

Questionnaire distributed to guides of bird-walks
Preliminary direct observations of tourists watching birds
Key Findings
The bird-watching tourist community tended to be dominated by well-educated middle-age to elderly

men and women
Bird-watching tourists as a whole were likely to be pet-owners (but not bird-owners), to grow birdattracting plants in their gardens (but not provide other feed) and able to identify most birds around their
home
Most bird-watchers were interested in seeing wildlife other than birds and expected to do some birdwatching next time they travel
Most bird-watchers were against hunting for sport and disturbing nesting birds while trying to identify
them
Slightly less than half kept life-lists of birds seen or named birds as their favourite animals
Some groupings of bird-watchers and features of bird-watchers were identified, but there was much
variation within the groupings
The major features of birds that bird-watchers desired to see were species they have not previously seen
and birds unique to Australia or the part of Australia being visited, followed by rare and vulnerable
species: least important (although still selected by between 10 and 20 per cent of respondents) were
birds interacting with the observer, birds readily photographed and large birds
The dedicated birders were more likely than others to want to see endemic or rare birds and birds their
friends had not seen, and less likely to regard brightly-coloured or interacting with me as important
features
There was no apparent difference between Australian and visiting bird-watchers in desire to see birds
endemic to Australia
Travel agents and travel books were the least used of sources of information on where to go birdwatching, respondents being far more likely to do bird-watching in places they were visiting for other
reasons or to seek information from books other than travel books or from national parks: dedicated
bird-watchers were far more likely than others to use books other than travel books or information from
natural history organisations (including bird-watching organisations)
The most common preferences of bird-watching tourists on bird-walks were liking to identify all birds
and to see what birds are doing, and enjoyment of social contact
Dedicated birders and thrill-seekers (those who wanted to see the more spectacular species, such as
big and colourful birds) were more likely than others to want to join commercial tours for a variety of
reasons, although the thrill-seekers were more inclined to consider bird-watching tours too specialised
Approximately a quarter of respondents said they would go bird-watching alone or with a small group
but not in Africa, Latin America or Asia
Those most likely to join commercial bird-watching tours tend to enjoy social contact, get information
on where to watch birds from natural history organisations, name bird-watching as their favourite
activity, like to see birds they have read about but do not often photograph birds
Dedicated birders were more likely than others to camp or to stay in lodges and less likely to stay in
hotels, but frequency of camping generally declined after the age of 65
vii

Many bird-watchers felt their enjoyment of bird-watching in Australia would be most improved by
factors beyond the control of the tourism industry (better health, more time and money). The other most
common responses were to conserve bird habitat and provide better information on where to see birds
There was a general concern for conservation issues relating to bird-watching: more than 50% of
respondents wanted to see threatened species, and had either belonged to a conservation organisation
had attended a meeting on bird conservation in the past ten years: less than 5% had positive attitudes
towards hunting for sport or disturbing nesting birds in attempts to identify them, and less than 10%
thought it acceptable to disturb any birds while trying to identify them or to feed birds in national parks
Observations of bird-watching tourists by tour guides and one of the authors of this paper suggest that
serious disturbance to birds is generally a rare event but that the potential for harm is there, especially
for vulnerable species or fragile habitats
Future Action
viii
Further investigation of some aspects looked at in this study, but using shorter questionnaires to
encourage a much higher return: these would include further comparison of domestic and international
bird-watchers, and further delineation of categories of bird-watching tourists and their respective
preferences and practices
Behavioural studies of bird-watchers using direct observation
Assistance to information centres and tourism bodies to provide good information on where to watch
birds in local districts (but not enticing unsupervised crowds to fragile habitats or territories of
vulnerable species)
Encouragement of tourism operators to identify and make known threats to bird habitats which may
impact both on bird conservation and bird-watching tourism
Promotion of better communication between bird-watching tourism operators and bird-watching
tourists and the tourism industry

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
The growth of bird-watching tourism
Bird-watching tourism has attracted attention in recent years as an apparently environmentally-friendly way of
producing income for operators, local communities and whole countries (see references in Jones and Buckley
2001, SATC 2001). Australia would appear to have more potential for bird-watching tourism than is currently
being realized (Jones and Buckley 2001, QTTC 1998, SATC 2001). These reports and others show birdwatching to be a potentially lucrative and growing market.
Many travel agents and others in the mainstream tourism industry in Australia tend to see bird-watching as a
relatively specialised niche sought after by very few tourists (QTTC 1998, R. Green unpublished data). A study
by the Queensland Travel and Tourism Centre (QTTC: now known as Tourism Queensland), found that in
Tropical North Queensland a major problem of tour operators was that Regional Tourism Associations (RTAs)
frequently gave insufficient recognition to the legitimacy of bird-watching tourism for promotional purposes
(QTTC 1998). The study also found, however, that highly-specialised bird-watchers (termed both fanatics and
twitchers in the report) comprised only about 5 - 10% of the bird-watching tourism market. Significantly, the
reports authors concluded that the majority of bird-watchers do not ... conform to the stereotypical image of a
bird-watcher, and should not be marketed to as such. (QTTC 1998). This stereotypical image is however still
alive in some areas, with keen bird-watchers regarded as typically having tunnel vision, wanting only to tick
birds off lists with little interest in their behaviour, ecology or beauty, or in other wildlife or natural history, and
seen also as of no real consequence to the tourism industry.
There are however many possible ways in which bird-watchers can engage in bird-watching tourism. They
may stay at eco-lodges or farmstays, join commercial tours or excursions run by bird-watching organisations, do
some bird-watching while travelling for business or family visits, or just take off alone or with friends for a day
or a week of bird-watching activities. Similarly, international visitors may also join in commercial activities,
contact bird-watching organisations and join in their fieldtrips, or venture out alone with a bird book and a hired
vehicle. This wide variety of practices and levels of engagement makes bird-watchers and bird-watching
activities difficult to quantify, and probably contributed significantly to why so little reliable information has
been available (Jones and Buckley 2000). Our knowledge of the above comes chiefly from many informal
interviews with bird-watchers, wildlife tourists, bird club members and tour guides, as well as our extensive
knowledge and participation in bird-watching activities over several decades.
Bird-watching tourism world-wide appears to be growing rapidly amongst Western travelers, and numerous
studies have confirmed that it can substantially enhance local economies (see references in Jones and Buckley
2000). In an Australian survey of visitors to Green Mountains, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Tisdell
and Wilson (2004) found that birds (especially the diversity of birds and calls of birds) constituted a major
components of visitor satisfaction, and estimated that visitors (including day-trippers and overnight visitors, both
domestic and international) to this one eco-lodge were worth just under $15million annually to the region.
North Queensland tour operators (QTTC 1998) reported that their largest markets were associated with
international travelers, but that interest by Australians seemed to be growing. There are many bird-watchers in
Australia, as evidenced by the large numbers of members of bird-watching associations (SATC 2001 and
websites such as www.ausbird.com, www.birdsaustralia.com.au and www.birdobservers.org.au). At present,
however, virtually nothing is known about the rates of participation or practices of these people.
Despite having an ostensibly green reputation, there is considerable potential for negative environmental
impacts by bird-watching tourists, both on the birds being watched and on non-target species (including the less
interesting birds and other animals) within the habitats being visited (Green and Higginbottom 2001 and
references therein, Green and Giese in press, Mullner et al in press). Although these are presumably very mild in
comparison to the impacts of many other land uses such as clearing for agriculture or some other kinds of
tourism (e.g. Watson and Moss 2002, Laiolo 2003,), there is a need to minimize risk, especially where
vulnerable species or habitats are concerned (Ream 1979, Burger and Gochfield 1993, Burger et al 1995, Fowler
1999, Quan et al 2002)).
1

It would seem that bird-watching tourism is not a negligible activity in Australia, and has much potential for
growth. For it to be truly sustainable form of nature-based tourism, both economically and environmentally,
much more needs to be understood about the practices, requirements and opinions of traveling bird-watchers,
both domestic and international, in Australia.
We were also concerned with the conservation ethics and behaviour of bird-watching tourists. Green and
Higginbottom (2001) observe for instance: Burger and Gochfeld (1993) observed that tourists often: get closer
to nesting birds for identification regardless of their effect on the bird; intentionally flush a rare bird; and occur
in large and noisy groups. Burger et al. (1995) note that bird-watchers visiting a new area want particularly to
see the rare and shy species, which are likely to also be the most vulnerable.
Aims and scope of the current study

The study aimed to shed some light on the variety of bird-watching tourism in Australia and to gain a better
understanding of the practices, needs and attitudes of bird-watching tourists. Rather than target only the most
dedicated bird-watchers, we considered the full spectrum of bird-watchers, ranging from the casual to the highly
motivated, as this has relevance to how important bird-watchers are to tourism as a whole, and what is needed to
make Australian bird-watching regions more appealing to both domestic and international travelers. We sought,
therefore, to obtain information from tourists engaged in bird-watching from a wide variety of settings, locations
and group sizes. For inclusion in the study, bird-watchers had to be based in natural areas and away from places
where the presence of birds had been deliberately manipulated, (such as, for example, through hand-feeding or
corralling). Thus, participation in the feeding of lorikeets at Currumbin Sanctuary or rosellas at Green
Mountains was not regarded as bird-watching. Similarly, large-group tours focusing on only one or two species
(such as the penguin parade at Phillip Island) were excluded. Night-time walks which include searches for owls,
frogmouths, nightjars and other nocturnal birds were, however, accepted.
Since the term bird-watchers incorporates a very diverse group of people and bird-watching incorporates a
very diverse group of activities (Jones and Buckley 2000), it is important to recognise meaningful groupings,
within which participation occurs.
The study had four general research domains:
the bird-watching tourist population generally (to refine and possibly expand targeting of tourism market
sectors for regions and individual operations, and generate ideas for the general feel of marketing to
various sectors)
what bird-watching tourists want to see and do (to better understand the demand side of both the domestic
and the international market, and to generate ideas for improving the quality of experience, again both for
regions and for individual operators)
bird-watching tourists and the tourism industry (to identify opportunities and challenges e.g. for
effective communication and understanding between travel agents, operators and tourists, or promotion of
both new and established regions as bird-watching destinations)
bird-watching tourism and conservation (to exp0lore the level of interest in and concern for conservation
amongst both casual and habitual bird-watchers, and whether their behaviour conforms to stated
attitudes).
Within these domains we chose to investigate:
1.
The bird-watching tourist population by:

exploring the demographics of bird-watching tourists
identifying any common features of bird-watching tourists opinions and practices
identifying any meaningful sub-groupings of bird-watching tourists, based on opinions, practices and age
group
2.
What bird-watching tourists want to see and do by:

determining what features of birds (endemism, rarity, appearance etc) are important to them
determining their preferences while on a bird-walk (e.g. duration, socializing, watching bird behaviour)
determining various other factors relevant to bird-watching (by both specific and open-ended questions)

analysing the above for bird-watchers as a whole and for any subgroups identified,
analysing for any differences between domestic and international travellers
3.
The role of the tourism industry in bird-watching by:

determining how bird-watchers decide where to go bird-watching (sources of information etc.)
assessing factors influencing bird-watchers decisions to join commercial tours
determining whether they are likely to spend money on bird books, binoculars and other equipment in
Australia
open-ended questions on how their bird-watching experience could be improved in Australia
assessing their perceptions of prime locations for bird-watching in Australia
analysing for any differences between domestic and international travellers
4.
Attitudes towards conservation by

asking specific questions (e.g. whether they would prefer to disturb a nesting bird than fail to identify it)
exploring responses to open-ended questions for conservation content
asking bird-watching tour guides about bird-watching tourist behaviour
making preliminary direct observation as opportunity permitted

Chapter 2
METHODS
Information was obtained primarily via two questionnaires, one designed for bird-watchers and another designed
for guides of bird-watching groups. In addition, some information was gained through observations of birdwatchers themselves.
Questionnaires for bird-watchers

Questions asked of bird-watchers and bird-watching guides were based on the aims given above and an attempt
to discern the views and attitudes of a broad spectrum of people engaged in bird-watching activities while
traveling. We wished to include, for instance, the experienced enthusiast as well as the general tourist who
happens to try a bit of bird-watching because friends or family were doing so. Similarly, we sought to include
those for whom birds and bird-watching were the prime focus as well as those for whom birds and bird-watching
were just another part of wildlife viewing or nature appreciation. Preliminary questions were asked informally in
conversations with bird-watchers, wildlife tourists and tour guides. Bird-watching tours from three different
tourism operations were accompanied to observe behaviours of guides and tourists in an informal way before
formulating the questions. A draft was presented to members of Birds Queensland, which helped to identify
some ambiguities and suggest further questions. Later drafts of the questionnaire were reviewed by a social
scientist, a professional questionnaire designer, and various bird-watchers and tour operators before the final
version was printed.
Lists and details of tourism operations were sought from the Internet and from Ecotourism Australia, and
perused for bird-watching content. A selection was then made so as to offer a wide geographical spread and to
include specialised birding areas (e.g. observatories operated by Birds Australia) and birding tours and more
general nature tourism sites (e.g. eco-lodges near national parks) and operations which included some birdwatching amongst other nature-based activities, as well as birding organisations, the members of which may or
may not sometimes participate in commercial bird-watching tours or accommodation. We also tried to get a
spread of habitats, from desert through woodlands and forests to coastal and marine habitats, and to include
varying distances from major cities. It was thus anticipated that we would cover a broad spectrum of the public,
including a spread from those willing to rough it or inclined to generally do their own thing through to more
conventional tourists.
Approximately 2,500 questionnaires (Appendix I) were thus distributed across Australia (all states and
territories) to: tour operators who include bird-watching as one of their activities; eco-lodges and other
accommodation which advertised bird-watching opportunities; bird-watching observatories; and members of
bird-watching associations. These questionnaires were distributed both via mail and by hand on numerous
occasions between November 2002 and May 2003. Tourism operators and bird-watching organisations were
requested to distribute questionnaires or make them available to their guests or members. Reply-paid envelopes
were provided.
Most of the survey consisted of statements (e.g. Birds are my favourite animals, I am very interested in the
behaviour of birds) to which respondents answered agree, neither agree or disagree, disagree or dont
know. There were also several questions requiring simple information on age group, profession, nationality,
etc., as well as several more open-ended questions about the respondents bird-watching experiences in Australia
and what would enhance their experience.
In summary, respondents were asked to provide information on the following (the questionnaire is
reproduced in full in Appendix I.):
Their nationality (e.g. in what world regions have they lived and where they have been bird-watching),
sex and age group (<14 years, 14 19,20 35,35 49, 50 65 or >65?)
Whether they work professionally with birds or other animals (and what their profession or study is)
4

Various questions on home life: ( e.g. whether they feed birds in the garden, care for injured birds or keep
pets)
Their preferences while on a bird-walk (e.g. duration of walk, social contact, identifying every bird seen,
children joining group)
Features of birds important to them while bird-watching (e.g. uniqueness to Australia, size, rarity,
behaviour, conservation status)
Various other questions on attitudes to bird-watching (e.g. whether they keep a life list of all species seen,
whether they habitually carry binoculars or record what they see)
Various questions related to an interest in birds (e.g. interest in bird ecology or in seeing other wildlife)
How they decide where to go for bird-watching (e.g. information from travel agents, natural history
organisations, friends/family, destinations initially decided for reasons other than bird-watching)
Under which circumstances would they join a commercial bird-watching tour (e.g. to reach difficult
places, for safety, to learn what books cannot teach)
Attitudes to various impacts on birds (e.g. disturbing birds at nest, flushing for identification, hunting)
Equipment they own for bird-watching and whether it was bought in Australia or elsewhere
Some of their most memorable bird sightings, which birds they would like to see, and what places they
would see as some of the best bird-watching areas in Australia
What might improve the bird-watching experience in Australia
Other comments
Anticipating reluctance by some participants to spend time answering all questions, we rated the various sets
of questions within the survey according to the importance (see Appendix I). Thus those marked with *** were
to be given priority by those not wishing to spend the time completing the entire questionnaire.
Questionnaire for bird-watching guides

A questionnaire was also sent to 42 guides of walks or tours (contacted primarily via Birds Australia and
Ecotourism Australia) which either focused on or included bird-watching. These were based in all Australian
states and territories, and included eco-lodges, bird observatories and tour companies. The questions were
finalised after informal discussions with guides and attendance of bird-watching walks where behaviour of
tourists was observed.
This questionnaire (see Appendix II for details) included questions on
The behaviour of tourists while on bird-walks (e.g. whether tourists occasionally or frequently disturbed
birds being observed, dropped out of bird-walks, complained about other participants
The kinds of questions they asked (e.g. about identification, behaviour or ecology)
Various other factors (what percentage of guestswhere relevantjoin bird-walks, whether the activity
tends to be seasonal)
The intention of these questions was to assist in determining the variety amongst bird-watchers, the interests
of different kinds of bird-watchers, possible environmental problems and some factors of general interest to the
tourism industry (e.g. seasonality of the activity). This survey was supplemented by unstructured interviews with
guides.
Personal observations
One of us (Ronda Green) accompanied bird-walks or walks which included birds with five different tourist
operations during the course of this study, She joined as a tourist or (in the case of her own tour company) a
guide and afterwards took notes on observations of bird-watcher behaviour. There was insufficient time to
accompany sufficient groups for any kind of quantitative analysis, so findings are preliminary only.

Chapter 3
RESULTS
Return rate
Of the 2500 bird-watcher questionnaires distributed a total of 256 (10.2%) were returned. This relatively low
return rate was not unexpected given the passive nature by which the surveys were accessed by bird-watchers.
As researchers were typically not present, invitations to participate were entirely dependent upon the motivation
and practices of the establishments, placement of the surveys and many other aspects beyond our control. Had
we been able to personally hand them to prospective respondents the return rate would probably have been
substantially better, and the 10.2% return does not necessarily represent the %age of return from those who were
actually given (or who noticed) the questionnaires, but of all forms, including those which may have lain on
shelves or in vehicles not seen by any bird-watchers. Thus the actual response rate may have been higher, but it
is impossible to estimate by how much.
The questionnaire was rather lengthy, with the more important sets of questions indicated. Several
respondents accordingly left out sets of questions, but others left gaps within sets. The missing values were
accounted for in the analysis. It has been reported to us that some respondents were uninterested in filling out a
questionnaire of so many pages, despite the option of only filling in the priority sections.
Only 11 of the 42 guides returned completed questionnaires (26.1%), which is a better return rate but a very
small overall sample size. Respondents were however spread across almost all states and territories and included
a wide range of situations, from permanent employees at large eco-lodges through to small tour operators and
volunteer guides for national parks, so their responses provide interesting indications of possible trends across a
variety of situations.
Demographic overview
This overview may be indicative of the bird-watching community, or of those most willing to fill in
questionnaires. If the latter, it may be to regard the results as being most relevant to the demographic represented
by the respondents, and that further research could address demographics not well represented here.
Most of the respondents were over 35, with the highest number in the 50 65 age group (Figure 1), and
females outnumbered males.

70
60
female
male
50
40
30
20
10
0
<14
yrs
14-19
20-34
35-59
50-65
>65
age group
Figure 1: Age groups and sex of respondents
While most respondents had lived in Australia for at least part of their lives, more than half had also lived
elsewhere at some time (Table 1). Those of Australian nationality outnumbered non-Australian almost 3:1 (Table
2). Europeans included German, Danish, Finnish, Dutch and Russian nationals. The sole Asian respondent was
from Taiwan, and the sole South American respondent from Brazil. North Americans included one from Canada
and the remainder from the USA. There were also seventeen respondents with dual nationalities (mostly British,
but also Irish, Danish, Lebanese, American, Canadian and Fijian). Thus more than a quarter of respondents had
had a nationality other than Australian at some time. Because of the small sample size we do not expect this to
truly reflect the proportions of bird-watchers visiting Australia from different countries. Rather, we are using the
information to test for differences between domestic and international visitors.
Table 1: Numbers of respondents who have lived in Australia and elsewhere (n=256)
Respondents who have
lived:
Only in Australia
Australia & elsewhere
Never in Australia
Unanswered
No.
104
102
35
15

Table 2: Nationalities of respondents (n=256)
Nationality
Australian
Australian & other
New Zealand
British & Irish
European
North American
South African
South American
Asian
Unanswered
Total non-Australian
No.
164
17
4
28
9
9
3
1
1
20
55
About a quarter of the respondents responding to the relevant question (201 in total) had watched birds only
in Australia (Table 3). Another fifth had watched birds only in western countries. More than a third had watched
birds in Asia, Africa or Latin America.
Table 3: Geographical regions respondents had watched birds (n=201)
Have watched birds:
Only in Australia
NZ
Europe & North America, not NZ or
non-western
Africa/Latin America/Asia
No.
63
16
31
91
Many respondents said that bird-watching was a major reason for visiting Australia (Table 4). However, as
many of these were Australians, we presume they meant particular regions within Australia were visited for birdwatching. It is also unknown whether some of those with dual nationalities really did mean that bird-watching
was a major reason for initially visiting Australia (rather than particular destinations in Australia while living
here). When considering only non-Australians (i.e. those that had to travel to reach Australia), Australia scored
higher than Europe but lower than Asia, Latin America and Africa in being a target for bird-watching.
Table 4: Localities for which bird-watching was one of the reasons for visiting (n=190??).
Bird-watching was a major reason to visit:
Australia (Australianspresumably visiting different part of Australia)
Australia (non-Australiansnever lived here)
Australia (lived here and elsewhere)
Many regions (3 or more other than Australia)
Europe (other than above)
Asia, Africa or Latin America (other than above)
North America (other than above)
NZ (other than above)
Europe (total)
Africa or Latin America (total)
Asia (total)
USA/Canada (total)
NZ (total)
Other Pacific (total)
Other
8
No.
50
13
17
16
1
7
1
1
11
17
17
17
7
10
5

More than half the completed forms were posted from somewhere in Queensland, for both domestic birdwatchers and international visitors (Table 5). This indicates a bias towards those living in and visiting
Queensland.
Table 5: Regions from which completed forms were sent, as evidenced from postcodes
on the envelopes (n=256)
Region
Numbers of completed
forms
72
53
34
5
6
8
14
1
63
Southeast Queensland
Queenslandother
New South Wales
Victoria
South Australia
Western Australia
Northern Territory
New Zealand
Unknown
Only 157 respondents answered the question about employment with something other than retired. The
most common responses involved academic, financial or management, medical or school employment (Figure
2).
50
40
30
20
10
other
tourism
medical
finance/management
education
academic
Figure 2: Percentage of respondents in different kinds of employment or study. N =157

The highest positive scores for involvement with birds and other animals at home and work (Figure 3) were:
ability to identify local birds (for which 83.6% of respondents answered agree; growing bird-attracting plants
in the garden (80.5%); and keeping pets other than birds (72.7%). About a third kept pet birds, cared for injured
birds and fed birds in their garden. About one-fifth commonly worked with birds and about a quarter with other
animals.

mean response
0.5
work with
other animals
work with
birds
feed birds
grow birdplants
kept other pets
kept pet birds
idenify local
birds
tended native
animals
-0.5
Figure 3: Responses to questions about connections with birds at home and at work
feed birds refers to providing food other than food-plants at home)
Scores ranged from 1 (disagree) to 1 (agree) to the relevant statements
Groupings of bird-watchers
Overview of responses
Table 6 indicates the majority views, minority views and most equivocal views expressed by those respondents
answering the questions (which varied between 202 and 249).
The most strongly-shared views (Table 6a) were: a dislike of hunting for sport; a desire to see wildlife other
than birds; a disinclination to disturb birds for identification; and an expectation of watching birds when next
travelling. Next most important were: ability to identify most birds near home; and a willingness to join a
commercial tour for places otherwise hard to reach. These were followed by: not joining bird-walks mainly for
friends or family reasons; not using travel agents to decide where to go bird-watching; planting bird-attracting
garden plants; habitually carrying binoculars; and an interest in bird behaviour.
Less than 10% of respondents (Table 6b) said they used travel books to decide where to go bird-watching,
that they enjoyed painting or sketching birds, or that putting names to things spoils appreciation of beauty.
Respondents were evenly divided (Table 6c) over whether the behaviour of birds (doing something
interesting) was an important factor in which birds they would like to see, whether birds were their favourite
animals, whether they choose go bird-watching in places they like for other reasons, whether they would
willingly go camping to see a new bird, whether they read about destinations before travelling whether they
could identify many female and juvenile Australia birds. Next most equivocal were whether they read about
birds of their destinations before travelling, whether guided bird tours were too expensive, whether they get
10

information on where to watch birds from books other than travel books, whether feeding birds gives good
opportunities for photography and whether they kept a life-list of birds seen.
Table 6a: Views expressed by more than 80% of respondents answering the question
(where negative responses are expressed in brackets, this indicates that the question was asked in a positive way,
and the respondents answered disagree)
Statement
I [do not] enjoy hunting for sport or wish to try it
I want to see other wildlife as well as birds
I [would not] rather disturb a bird from its nest than fail to identify it
I'll probably be bird-watching next time I travel
I can identify most birds around home
I would go on a tour to places difficult to reach
I [do not] mainly join bird-walks because family and friends want me to
I [do not] decide where to go birding from advice of travel agents
I plant bird-attracting species in my garden
I usually carry binoculars in case of something interesting
I'm very interested in bird behaviour
Percent of
respondents
96.68
95.51
94.17
93.03
86.12
85.96
81.74
80.59
81.85
81.38
80.65
Table 6b: Views expressed by less than 10% of respondents answering the question
I use travel books to decide where to go bird-watching
I like sketching/painting birds
Putting names to everything spoils appreciation of beauty
7.98
9.01
9.7
Table 6c: Views expressed by approximately half the respondents answering the question
I particularly like to see birds that are doing something interesting
I generally go bird-watching in places I like for other reasons
I read about birds of my destinations
Birds are my favourite animals
I would willingly go camping to see a new bird
I can identify females and juveniles of many Australian birds
I read about my travel destinations
Guided bird tours are usually too expensive
I get info on where to go birding from books (not travel books)
Feeding birds gives good opportunities for photographs
I keep a life-list of birds Ive seen
48.37
47.33
56.33
45.30
54.20
54.62
54.96
44.55
44.31
44.21
44.03
A correlation matrix of general attitudes to bird-watching found the strongest correlations to be between:
interest in bird behaviour and interest in bird ecology (r2=0.636)
bird-watching as a favourite activity and often visiting national parks for bird-watching (0.623)
ability to identify many females and juveniles and reading about birds of a destination (0.590)
keeping binoculars handy and visiting national parks for bird-watching (0.577)
bird-watching as a favourite activity and likely to watch birds on next trip (0.576)
reading about birds of a destination and often visiting national parks for bird-watching (0.575
being able to identify many females and wanting to identify all Australian birds (0.562).
Keeping a life-list was positively correlated with a number of factors (Table 7), the strongest being birdwatching is my favourite activity, ability to identify many females and juveniles of Australian birds, I would
like to be able to identify all Australian birds and reading about birds of an intended travel destination. Other,
weaker, positive correlations included items one would associate with the typical twitcher (birds are their
favourite animals, often carry binoculars, take notes on what is seen, often visit national parks for bird-watching,
and able to identify most local birds) plus others not so obviously predictable from the stereotype (interest in
ecology and behaviour, read about destinations) There was a weak negative correlation with the view that putting
names to things spoils appreciation of beauty.
11

Table 7: Opinions and preferences relating to bird-watching which showed a significant (P<0.05)
correlation with keeping a life-list
[brackets indicate a negative correlation]
Attitude to bird-watching
Bird-watching as favourite activity
Able to identify many females and juveniles of Australian birds
Would like to be able to identify all Australian birds
Read about birds in a destinations before visiting
Birds are my favourite animal
Often carry binoculars in case of something interesting
Interested in bird behaviour
Interested in bird ecology
Often visit national parks for bird-watching
Often take notes on birds seen
Able to identify most local birds
Likely to be bird-watching during next travel
Read about destinations before visiting
[Putting names to things spoils appreciation of beauty]
0.403
0.338
0.312
0.301
0.293
0.268
0.252
0.248
0.247
0.243
0.195
0.177
0.172
-0.223
Principal components analysis

A Principal Components Analysis (SPSS) clustered two groups of responses (not respondents) that were
reasonably interpretable (Table 8) but collectively these accounted for only 35%of the variance. The first two
components seem respectively to represent the dedicated bird enthusiast and the tourist that is most interested in
the more exciting birds. The next few are less readily interpretable, except that group 4 could be considered to
represent those with very little interest in birding, and group 5 young international travellers with no very great
interest in birding.
Table 8: Results of Principle Components Analysis (SPSS) with absolute scores greater than 0.4
Group
12
Cumulative
variance %
18.903
35.283
Feature
Bird-watching is my favourite activity
I can identify females and juveniles of many Australia birds
I often record birds I see
Id like to be able to identify all Australian birds
I generally carry binoculars
I read about birds of my destination
Im very interested in bird ecology
I would willingly camp to see a new bird
I keep a life-list of all birds seen
Im very interested in bird behaviour
I like to see rare birds
Ill probably do some bird-watching on my next travels
I like to see birds unique to the part of Australia visited
[I mainly go bird-watching because of family or friends]
I like to see big birds
I like to see predatory birds
I like to see brightly-coloured birds
I like to see birds interacting with me
I like to see birds Ive read about
I like to see birds that are doing something interesting
I like to see birds that are singing
I like to see birds my friends have never seen
I like to see birds that are readily photographed
I like to see vulnerable birds
I like to see rare birds
I like to see birds Ive never seen before
0.772
0.700
0.674
0.668
0.649
0.627
0.614
0.610
0.556
0.512
0.501
0.455
0.431
-0.420
0.780
0.704
0.701
0.672
0.655
0.649
0.630
0.531
0.466
0.440
0.429
0.401

Group
3
Cumulative
variance %
42.075
47.357
52.049
56.438
Feature
[I like to see vulnerable birds]
[I like to see rare birds]
[I like to see birds unique to the part of Australia visited]
[I will probably do some bird-watching next time I travel]
[Im very interested in bird behaviour]
International visitor
[Age]
I like to see birds unique to Australia
Age
[Im very interested in bird behaviour]
[Im very interested in bird ecology]
-0.565
-0.562
-0.453
-0.543
-0.469
0.694
-0.513
0.534
0.447
-0.440
-0.416
Further inspection of the data reveals that these results do not mean bird-watching tourists can be simply
divided into dedicated birders (scoring high on group 1 factors), thrill-seekers (group 2 factors) and
occasional birders (groups 3 and 4). Each respondent was given a dedicated birder score (sum of their
responses to statements highly correlated with component 1) and a thrill-seeker score (sum of their responses to
statements highly correlated with component 1). The majority of respondents were high on the birder scale
(Figure 4), but most were about mid-way along the spectrum for thrill-seekers (Figure 5), and there was no
negative correlation, indeed virtually no correlation of any kind (r2 = 0.09) between the two scores (Figure 6).
80
60
40
20
0
-1 - 0.76
-0.750.51
-0.500.26
-0.250.01
0-0.25
0.26-0.5 0.5-0.75 0.76-1.0
'dedicated birder' score
(dedicated birders) in Table 7
13

80
60
40
20
0
-1 - 0.76
-0.750.51
-0.500.26
-0.250.01
0-0.25
0.26-0.5 0.5-0.75 0.76-1.0
'thrill-seeker' score
(thrill-seekers) in Table 7
'thrill-seeker'
score
40
30
20
10
0
0
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
'dedicated birder' score
Figure 6: Relationship between groups 1 and 2 of Table 7. R2 = 0.09
1.5
1
0.5
0
birders
nonbirders
-0.5
-1
te
nd
ed
in
ju
re
d
w
id
ild
nt
lif
ify
e
lo
ca
lb
ir
ke
ds
pt
pe
tb
ke
ir
ds
pt
bi
ot
rd
he
-a
rp
ttr
et
ac
s
tin
g
pl
an
ts
fe
ed
bi
rd
s
mean response
There was little difference apparent between those with very high and low dedicated birder scores (Figure
7) in their keeping of pet birds and other animals or tendency to feed birds. Those with high scores however
appear to be able to identify birds near home, plant bird-attracting plants and to a lesser extent tend injured
wildlife more often than low scorers. Differences between high and low scorers for thrill-seeking (Figure 8)
were less pronounced.
Figure 7: Relevant aspects of home-life of those with high (>0.7) and low (<0,3) scores for group 1
(dedicated birder) of Table 7
14

mean response
1
0.5
thrill-seeker
others
-0.5
-1
tended
idntify kept pet kept other bird- feed birds
injured local birds birds
pets
attracting
wildlife
plants
Figure 8: Relevant aspects of home-life of those with high (>0.7) and low (<0.3) scores for group 2 (thrillseekers} of Table 7
Dendrogram of bird-watchers
Respondents were clustered by a Common Fusion Dendrogram (stress 0.158) using PATN and five major groups
emerged (Table 9), There was however much variation within these groups, cautioning against a too-literal
acceptance of them as distinct bird-watching types.
Group
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Table 9: Clustering of respondents by a common fusion dendrogram

Features of group
Least-bird-focused. (N=46). This group had the lowest score for keeping lifelists, ability to identify many females and juveniles of Australian birds and
willingness to camp to see new birds, and was the only group to show mean
negative scores for these questions. It also showed the lowest scores for usually
carrying binoculars, for wanting to be able to identify all Australian birds,
interest in bird ecology and bird-watching being a favourite activity.
Non-bird-focused (N=60). This group had the highest score for having kept
pets other than birds (but also had the lowest mean score for having kept pet
birds). It showed the second-lowest scores for keeping a life-list, bird-watching
as a favourite activity, interest in bird ecology, wishing to be able to identify all
Australian birds, ability to identify many juveniles and females, willingness to
camp to see new bird, and usually carrying binoculars.
Bird-focused photographers. (N-44). This group scored much higher than the
others for considering feeding of birds good for providing photographic
opportunities, and perusal of other factors showed they also scored highest on
often taking photos of birds and on having telescopic lenses. It also scored
highest on keeping a life-list (but only marginally more than group 5) and
usually carrying binoculars (but only marginally more than groups 4 and 5).
Bird-focused ecologists. (N=43). This group scored highest for an interest in
bird ecology. Most responses were close to those of groups 3 and 5 rather than
groups 1 and 2, indicating a strong interest in birds.
Most bird-focused (N=59). This group showed many similarities with groups 3
and 4, and had the highest scores for willingness to camp to see new birds,
wanting to identify all Australian birds, and bird-watching being their favourite
activity. It was the only group with a mean negative score for bird-feeding
providing good photographic opportunities, and perusal of other factors showed
it to have the lowest mean score for acceptability of feeding in national parks,
feeding in their own gardens, and feeding giving opportunities for interaction
with birds. This was also, on average, the oldest group.
15

There was little difference in proportions of men and women in most groups (Figure 9), but females
considerably outnumbered males for Group 1 and Group 5.
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
male
female
group 1
group 2
group 3
group 4
group 5
groups identified by dendrogram
Figure 9: Proportion of male and female respondents in each of the five groups identified by the
dendrogram (Table 8) (Table 8). = 5.65 (NS)
number of respondents
Australians outnumbered visitors from elsewhere in most groups, but the difference was particularly evident
for Group 2 (Figure 10).
50
40
Australian
mixed Aust/other
other nationality
30
20
10
0
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Figure 10: Proportion of Australians and other nationalities in each of the five groups recognised by
the dendrogram (Table 8). (with mixed nationality and other nationality grouped together) = 6.32 (NS)
What birds do bird-watching tourists want to see?

Bird-watchers as a whole nominated the birds that they most wanted to see (in order of importance; see Table 10
as: (1) species not previously seen: (2) species unique to Australia (or to the part of Australia being visited), and
(3) rare or vulnerable species. The least important features were species that were big, readily photographed, or
species that could be interacted with. A correlation (similarity) matrix (SPSS **) showed responses to several
avian features to be highly correlated with one another. The highest correlations were between rare/vulnerable
(0.829), and big/predatory (0.764) followed by interacting/readily-photographed (0.532), unique to
Australia/unique to part of Australia (0.529) and big/brightly-coloured (0.524).
16

Table 10: Percentages of respondents agreeing with specific statements (in descending order of
preference)
When bird-watching in Australia I like to see birds which are:
Species Ive never seen
Unique to the part of Australia visited
Unique to Australia
Vulnerable
Rare
Doing something interesting
Singing/calling
Bright
Species Ive read about
Predatory
Species my friends havent seen
Big
Readily photographed
Interacting with me
N
249
248
249
247
248
246
246
245
246
245
244
244
243
243
%
79.12
69.76
67.47
62.75
58.06
48.37
33.74
30.61
26.83
24.49
22.54
18.44
12.35
10.29
1.00
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
0.50
0.00
-0.50
bi
g/
br
ig
in
ht
te
ra
ct
in
g/
fil
m
ab
le
bi
rd
sr
ea
d
ab
ou
t
en
no
ve
lty
-1.00
de
m
ism
/r
ar
ity
mean response
Respondents of all groups recognised by the dendrogram (Table 8) showed basically similar responses
(Figure 11), but with Group 1 respondents tending to favour birds they have read about, birds interacting with
them or filmable, and to a lesser extent wanting to see big and brightly-coloured birds, and Group 5 tending
towards birds they have read about, rare and endangered birds and birds they had never previously seen.
Figure 11: Responses of the five groups identified by the dendrogram (Table 8) to
grouped bird features
Endemism/rarity refers to birds that are unique to Australia, unique to part of Australia, rare or threatened.
Novelty refers to birds the tourist or their friends have never seen. Big/bright refers to birds that are big,
brightly coloured, predatory, singing or doing something interesting. Interacting/filmable refers to birds that are
readily photographed or interacting with the observer. Birds read about refers to birds the observer has
previously read about.
We compared those respondents who scored highest on the summation of dedicated birders features
(scoring a mean of 0.7 or higher for the factors related to the first component of the principle components
17

1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
ab
ou
t
g
re
ad
g/
ca
lli
n
to
ry
sin
gi
n
bi
g
fo
re
av
en
't
br
se
do
ig
en
ht
in
ly
g
-c
so
ol
m
ou
et
re
hi
d
ng
in
te
in
ra
te
re
ct
in
sti
g
ng
w
ith
re
ob
ad
se
ily
rv
er
ph
ot
og
ra
ph
ed
be
sh
fr
ien
d
se
en
en
ed
ra
re
th
re
at
ne
ve
r
to
ue
iq
un
un
iq
ue
to
Au
str
al
ia
pa
rt
of
A
us
t
birders
nonbirders
pr
ed
a
mean response
analysis): 23 respondents) and those with the lowest scores (scoring 0.5 or less: 30 respondents) for their
preferences in bird features (Figure 12). Brightly-coloured, big, readily photographed and interacting with
the observer were rated relatively higher by non-birders. Birders were relatively more interested in birds friends
had not seen, birds unique to Australia or the part of Australia being visited and rare birds, with a similar but less
pronounced trend to be relatively more interested in predatory birds, birds they had not seen before, threatened
species and birds they had read about. There were more or less equal score for birds doing something
interesting and singing or give strange, memorable calls.
features of birds
Figure 12: Features of birds important to those scoring the highest and lowest on the
dedicated birder scale
There were no apparent differences between those who had watched birds only in Australia and those who
had never watched birds in Australia (Table 11), nor between those who had lived only in Australia and those
who had never lived here. In both cases (probably due to overlap between the two) there was a lower percentage
of respondents of respondents who had lived in or watched birds in Australia and elsewhere who said uniqueness
to Australia was very important to them, compared to the two extremes.
Table 11: Importance of seeing birds unique to Australia by respondents who had lived and watched birds
in Australia and elsewhere
Number of
% responding very
respondents in important to see birds unique
group
to Australia
Lived only in Australia
Lived in Australia & elsewhere
Never lived in Australia
104
102
35
76.34
66.15
71.42
Watched birds only in Australia

Watched birds in Australia & elsewhere
Never watched birds in Australia
43
207
5
79.06
69.56
80.00
Large birds (emus, cassowaries, black-necked storks, bustards, pelicans etc), parrots (including cockatoos)
and raptors comprised the most commonly-named nonpasserines birds when respondents were asked to recall
some of their favourite bird-watching memories in Australia (Table 12), and large birds and parrots the wishlist for future sightings (Table 13). Passerines (songbirds) as a whole scored highly for favourite memories and
species respondents wanted to see in the future. Memories of passerines included lyrebirds (32), pittas (24),
riflebirds (4), bowerbirds (18), fairy-wrens (14), grasswrens (8), honeyeaters (8), scrub birds (7), finches (6),
18

robins (4), babblers (3) and a few others mentioned by only one or two respondents. Passerines respondents most
wanted to see in the future included bowerbirds (11, especially regent), lyrebirds (18), finches (26, especially
Gouldian), pittas (16), honeyeaters (14, especially regent), riflebirds (11), scrub-birds (11), fairy-wrens (7),
grasswrens (7), robins (6), and bristlebirds (4).
Table 12: Groups of birds mentioned in response to the question about favourite memories of birdwatching in Australia
See text for details of passerines
Birds mentioned as favourite memories of past experiences
No. of mentions
Bird-watching locality, no specific bird mentioned
34
large birds (cassowary, emu, bustard etc.)

marine birds
nocturnal birds
parrots
waterbirds
raptors
nonpasserineother
passerines
total
91
47
31
86
41
79
64
191
667
Table 13: Groups of birds mentioned in response to the question about birds that respondents would most
like to see in future observations in Australia
See text for details of passerines
Birds mentioned as species respondents would especially like to see
in the future
passerines
parrots
large birds (cassowary, emu, bustard etc.)
nonpasserineother
raptors
nocturnal birds
marine birds
waterbirds
bird-watching locality
No. of mentions
199
95
84
42
41
31
22
16
6
548
Taking the definition from Green, Higginbottom and Northrope (2001) of brightly-coloured meaning any
bird for which >25% of plumage is neither black, grey, white or brown, 31.45% of the 548 responses referred to
brightly-coloured species.
A regression analysis with a score for working or studying with animals (response to my
profession/job/study involves birds plus my profession/job/study involves other animals) versus responses to
other statements in the questionnaire was non-significant overall (F=1.453, P=1.31) but individual t-tests within
it showed a negative response to wanting to see big birds (P=0.006) and a positive response to wanting to see
predatory birds (0.041).
Those who had selected unique to Australia as very important especially wanted to see parrots (64
respondents), raptors (28), finches (21 17 of these were Gouldian finch), lyrebirds (15), honeyeaters (14), owls
(14); pittas (14), cassowary (13); grasswrens (10); buttonquail (8); kingfishers (7); bowerbirds (7) and waders
(6). Lyrebirds are the only uniquely Australian family in that list, and only two (bowerbirds and cassowaries)
are uniquely Australasian, but many constituent species are endemic, and parrots are an essentially southern
19

hemisphere order. Their favourite memories included raptors (50); parrots (61 27 of which were cockatoos),
lyrebirds (26), bowerbirds (23), waders (22), fairy-wrens (18), kingfishers (16), marine birds (16); pittas (13);
owls (10; cassowary (10); finches (9); frogmouths (9); brolga (8); grass-wren (8); pigeons (8); rainbow bee-eater
(6); honeyeaters (6); scrub-birds (6); and black-necked stork (6).
Recorded memories often included specific places in conjunction with the bird species (e.g. three brolgas
dancing on bank of Normanton River, and 34 were memories of birdlife in general at a particular place (e.g.
visiting Mt Lewis (Atherton) and seeing half a dozen new species in a day).
First sightings were recalled by 15 respondents (e.g. crested shriketitthe bird that started it all for me,
tracking down my first chestnut-browed babblers as a kid, first time I saw a whipbird clearly, the first bird I
identified alonea black-shouldered kite, red wattlebird in Brighton, Victoria, during my first walk in
Australia.
Many respondents recorded action of some kind (e.g. emus bathing in surf, two baby powerful owls
"dancing" in circular unison as they wait to be fed, jacana with chicks tucked under wing and a head peering
out above, rainbow bee-eater entering and leaving burrow, watching partridge pigeons waddle around
campsite, wompoos mating, magpies playing on a trampoline, restless flycatcher captivated us for 20
minutes with bobbing and strange churring calls, two white-bellied sea eagles falling downwards, talons
gripped, white-breasted sea-eagle snatching immature osprey from nestNorth Molle Island, Qld, peregrine
falcon stooping at Nimbin Rocks.
How do bird-watchers decide where to go bird-watching?

Travel agents figured last in means of deciding where to go bird-watching (Table 14). Travel books and the
Internet were also rated low. Decisions appear to be determined more commonly on places liked for other
reasons, places the respondents are going to anyway, and places read about in books other than travel books,
followed by national park literature and advice from friends or family.
A correlation matrix showed high correlations between information from non-travel books and natural
history organisations. (0.558), between documentaries and information from national parks (0.503), and between
bird-watching in places being visited anyway and places selected for other reasons (0.478. Tendency to use a
travel agent was most highly correlated with use of travel books (0.329), the next highest being a very weak
correlation with documentaries (0.171).
Table 14: How bird-watching tourists decide where to go bird-watching
How I decide where to watch birds
I visit places I like for other reasons
books (not travel)
I do it at places I'm going to anyway
national parks info
friends/family
natural history organisations
Internet
documentaries
travel book
travel agent
N
243
246
244
244
243
242
235
242
238
237
%
47.33
44.31
42.21
38.11
37.86
30.99
19.57
16.12
7.98
2.11
We compared those respondents who scored highest on the summation of dedicated birders features
analysis): 23 respondents) and those with the lowest scores (scoring 0.5 or less: 30 respondents) in their
preferred ways of deciding where to watch birds (Figure 13). The most striking differences appear to be the
tendencies of birders to seek information from natural history organisations and books other than travel books,
the tendency to seek information from the Internet, national parks and documentaries also being higher for
birders. Those scoring high on the thrill-seeker scale also showed a tendency to get their information from
documents (Figure 14).
20

1
0.5
birder
nonbirder
0
-0.5
na
tu
r
al
tra
ve
l
hi b o o
sto
k
ry
o
t
bo rave rg.
ok
l
s ( age
no
nt
t
f r i t ra
v
en
ds e l )
/fa
m
ily
in
do t e r n
cu
et
m
e
n
na
tio tary
na
v
l i k i s i t i l pa
r
e f ng
an k
or
y
ot
he w a
y
rr
ea
so
ns
-1
how to decide on where to watch birds
mean response
Figure 13: Methods by which respondents with the highest (23 respondents) and lowest (30 respondents)
scores for dedicated birders decide where to go bird-watching
1
0.5
0
thrill-seeker
other
-0.5
tra
na
ve
tu
lb
ra
lh
oo
is
k
to
ry
or
tr
g.
bo ave
la
ok
ge
s
(n
nt
ot
t
ra
fri
ve
en
l)
ds
/fa
m
ily
in
do tern
cu
et
m
en
na
ta
tio
ry
n
vi
a
lp
si
lik
tin
ar
e
g
k
fo
a
ro
ny
th
w
ay
er
re
as
on
s
-1
Figure 14: Methods by which respondents with the highest and lowest scores for thrill-seekers decide
where to go bird-watching
21

Table 15: Significant (and near-significant) results of regression analyses with decision-making responses
as dependent variable [bracketed factors are those showing a negative correlation]
Decisions based on
Travel book
Natural history organisation
Travel agent
Books (other than travel)
Internet
documentaries
National parks
Do bird-watching in places going
to anyway
22
Overall F(and P)
Independent variable
coefficient
1.321 (0.119) NS
Like to see birds Ive

read about
Would rather disturb a
bird than not identify
Work with birds
+0.346
0.011
+0.238
0.046
+2.389
0.019
[age]
-0.244
0.038
Like to see birds unique

to part of Australia
visited
[Like to see big birds]
+2.583
0.011
-0.296
0.044
[Can identify many

females and juveniles]
Willingly camp to see
new bird
[Have tended injured
native animals]
Work with birds
-2.027
0.046
+0.285
0.012
-0.225
0.027
+0.317
0.003
-0.241
0.049
+0.275
0.025
+1.93
(0.057)
-0.258
0.008
-0.227
0.021
+0.269
0.019
-2.719
0.008
+0.266
0.052
+0.309
0,027
+0.224
0.018
+0.218
0.028
[Like to see birds unique

to Australia]
-1.951
0.054
[Like to see brightlycoloured birds]

Like to watch what birds
are doing
Would like to identify all
Australian birds
-0.276
0.031
+0.301
0.007
+0.271
0.040
2.403 (0.000)
0.973 (0.538) NS
2.289 (0.000)
1.568 (0.028)
1.562 (0.029)
[Liked to see children

joining bird-walk]
Like to watch what birds
are doing
Australian birds
[Like to see other
wildlife]
[Feed birds at home]
Okay to flush birds for
identification
[Usually carry
binoculars]
Can identify most birds
near home
Like to see predatory
birds
Prefer no talking on birdwalk
Keep pets (other than
birds) at home
1.056 (0.422) NS
1.554 (0.030)

Overall F(and P)
Decisions based on
Do bird-watching in places liked

for other reasons
1.606 (0.022)
coefficient
[Read about birds of

destination]
Australian birds
-0.375
0.005
+0.292
0.024
Read about destinations
+0.334
0.006
[Work with birds]
-0.387
0.025
Analysis of favourite and well-known places for bird-watching in Australia has yet to be analysed
Table 16: Preferred places for bird-watching
Yet to be fully analysed, but some top spots included:
Lamington National Park
Werribee Water Treatment
Far north Queensland
Various observatories (e.g. Broome, Barrington Tops)
What do bird-watchers prefer on a bird-walk?

While actually on a bird-walk, almost three-quarters of the respondents like to identify all birds, about two-thirds
watch what the birds are doing, and more than half like to socialise (Table 17). They were somewhat divided
over whether they liked children to participate (some explaining on the questionnaire that this depended very
much on the actual children involved) and whether they preferred no one to talk. They generally opted not to
disturb a bird for identification, with the strongest negative reaction of all being for disturbing a nesting bird for
identification. Few wanted bird-walks to last less than an hour, and still fewer said they mostly joined bird-walks
because friends and family wanted them to.
Table 17: Respondents agreeing with various statements about the preferences while on a bird-walk
When on a bird-walk I:
like to identify all birds I see

watch what birds are doing
enjoy the social contact
like to see children joining the group
prefer no talking
prefer to be alone
prefer a short bird-walk (< 1 hour)
would disturb a bird to identify it
join in family/friends
would disturb a nesting bird to identify it
243
246
244
236
240
238
239
240
241
237
%
respondents
72.43
65.85
57.38
39.41
31.67
18.49
16.74
8.02
7.47
1.67
profession/job/study involves birds plus my profession/job/study involves other animals) was significant
overall (F=1.772, df 176, P=0.048) and individual t-tests within it showed one significant positive response, to
preferring to be alone on bird-walks (P=0.002).
Those scoring high on the dedicated birder scale appeared more likely to want to identify all birds seen and
wanting to watch what birds are doing, and less likely to want a bird-walk to be short (Figure 15). Although few
respondents in either category wanted to disturb birds while identifying them, there was more of a tendency for
the high scorers to do so.
23

mean response
1
0.5
birders
nonbirders
0
-0.5
pr
ef
er
sh
en ort b
jo
ir
y
so d-w
al
lik cia
et lc k
o
o
se nta
c
pr e c h t
pr
e
ef
il
fe
er
r n dre
to
n
l
o
di ike
ta
stu
lk
to
in
id
rb
g
e
t
n
tif
pr han
ef
no y a
er
ll
ti
to
di den
st
ti
w
pr urb fy
at
ef
ch
a
w er t t ne
ha
o
be s t
tb
a
ird
s a lone
re
do
in
g
-1
Figure 15: Preferences of those scoring very high (23 respondents) and low (30 respondents) on the
dedicated birder score (Table 8)
thrill-seeker
other
so
w
al
lik cia
lc k
et
o
o
se ntac
ec
t
pr
pr
hi
ef
e
l
d
f
er
re
lik ern
to
n
o
et
di
t
a
stu o i
l
od king
rb
e
th
pr
an ntify
ef
no
al
er
l
ti
to
d
en
di
st
ti
w
pr urb fy
at
ef
ch
a
w er to t ne
ha
be st
tb
al
ird
s a o ne
re
do
in
g
1
0.75
0.5
0.25
0
-0.25
-0.5
-0.75
-1
jo
y
en
pr
ef
er
sh
or
tb
ird
mean response
The high scoring thrill seekers appeared far more likely than others to prefer to disturb birds rather than fail
to identify them (Figure 16).
Figure 16: Preferences of those scoring very high and low on the thrill-seeker score (Table 8)
A correlation matrix showed no strong correlations, the strongest however being between disturbing birds
rather than failing to identify them and disturbing birds at nests rather than failing to identify them.
24

In response to the questions on what tourists on bird-walks complain about (Table 18), there were no features
complained about often. It would appear the major dissatisfactions come from discomfort, early rising and
noise made by other participants, followed by not seeing enough birds. There were rare complaints about the
group size being too large and children attending bird-walks, but it seems no one had complained about other
participants wearing bright clothing.
Table 18: Frequency of complaints by bird-watchers as reported by bird-watching guides (total for most
questions = 11, but one guide, who only leads groups of 1 to 4 in size, answered, not applicable to the first four
questions)
How often guests complain about:
Other participants making too much noise
Other participants wearing bright clothing
Children attending bird-walks
The group size being too large
Not enough birds being seen
Having to get up too early
Being uncomfortable (cold weather, wet grass etc)
never
rarely
4
10
8
5
5
6
6
4
0
2
5
5
3
3
Sometimes
2
0
0
0
1
2
2
often
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
When asked which guests tend to ask the most questions during a bird-walk, three of the 11 guides
responding to the questionnaire said dont know, not applicable (only takes experienced birders) or not
apparent, and one answered all of the above. Other responses were:
Children and their parents
Novice and foreign visitors
Novice birders and younger children
Experienced birders
Experienced, foreign
Experienced birders re locating birds; novicelots of general questions
Those most interestedmore to do with the individual than experienced/novice etc.
Most guides reported that bird-watchers on their guided walks often ask questions on bird identification and
bird behaviour (Table 19). Questions about bird ecology and ability to identify most birds seen were reasonably
common, as was a desire to photograph birds. Dropping out of the group to stop bird-watching was a rare
occurrence, with dropping out to do their own bird-watching a little more common.
Table 19: Behaviour of bird-watchers as noted by tour guides
While on a guided bird-walk, guests:
Drop out of the group to do watch birds on their own
Drop out of the group and stop bird-watching
Ask questions relating to bird identification
Ask questions relating to bird behaviour
Ask questions relating to bird ecology
Want to photograph the birds seen
Are able to identify most birds seen
Tell you things you didnt know about the birds
never
3
4
0
0
0
2
1
3
rarely
4
6
0
1
2
1
3
5
sometimes
4
1
3
2
6
7
6
3
often
0
0
8
8
3
1
1
0
When asked Are there [particular seasons when more bird-watchers tend to visit, one answered no, one
answered yes (without specifying), and five did not respond. The others responded:
Spring
Spring and summer
Spring (September to December) and autumn (February to April)
Spring seems to be the busiest time for visiting birders
Responses to a open-ended question on bird-watching in Australia are reproduced in Appendix Table D.
25

Tour and accommodation choices of bird-watchers

A proximity matrix (SPSS) showed high correlations between the following reasons for joining commercial
guided birding tours:
learning to identify local birds and learning what books dont teach (r2 = 0.691)
willingness to join a tour to find difficult birds and for safety (0.673)
places difficult to reach and safety (0.657)
reaching difficult places and finding difficult birds (0.645)
learning interesting things about birds and learning what no books teach (0.645)
learning interesting things about birds and learning to identify local birds (0.641).
There was a non-significant trend for men to have more negative attitudes towards tours and for women to
have a greater tendency to join tours for safety or for what they could learn (Figures 17 and 18).
mean response
1.00
0.50
female
male
0.00
-0.50
ild
er
ne
ss
ns
fe
el
in
g
e
iv
d
o
to
re
po
i
lw
sa
ur
ss
to
id
ed
gu
bi
rd
in
to
ur
ar
ur
s
to
ex
pe
al
ci
sp
e
et
oo
ra
't
an
bi
rd
in
g
ur
sc
iz
e
ng
ny
th
i
te
a
of
fe
bo
o
tn
to
ed
id
gu
in
jo
ld
ch
s
ca
fo
rw
ha
en
id
to
n
ou
ok
s
lb
ird
lo
tif
y
ut
ao
n
ar
jo
i
ld
w
ou
ird
es
th
eb
ac
pl
lt
le
jo
in
to
re
w
ou
l
jo
i
to
w
ld
cu
ffi
di
d
ou
l
ac
w
ou
ou
ld
jo
in
fo
rb
ird
sd
iff
jo
in
ic
u
lt
fo
r
to
sa
fe
t
f in
d
-1.00
Figure 17: Opinions and preferences of respondents relating to guided tours
120.00
100.00
80.00
female
male
60.00
40.00
20.00
0.00
difficulty/safety
learn
negative towards tours
group of statements about guided tours
Figure 18: Grouped responses of men and women to statements about tours NS.
We also compared those respondents who scored highest on the summation of dedicated birders features
analysis): 23 respondents) and those with the lowest scores (scoring 0.5 or less: 30 respondents) for their
preferences and opinions relating to commercial guided tours for bird-watching (Fig 19), birders were
26

relatively more willing to go on guided tours for a variety of reasons. Non-birders had a much higher mean score
relating to bird-watching tours being too specialised.
birders
nonbirders
0.5
0
-0.5
di
sa
ffo
fe
ic
rn
ty
u
ab
lt
pl
ou
ac
tl
es
i
o
de
le
c
a
nt
ar
ify l bi
n
rd
w
lo
ha
s
c
al
tn
bi
o
no
r
bo
th
ok ds
in
g
ca s te
a
n'
t d ch
o
to
al
o
on
sp
e
ec
ia
sp
liz
to
oi
ed
lw oe
x
ild
pe
ns
er
iv
ne
e
ss
fe
el
in
g
-1
le
a
re
a
ch
fin
d
di
ffi
cu
lt
bi
rd
s
mean response
Figure 19: Preferences and opinions regarding commercial bird-watching tours by those scoring high and
low on the dedicated birder scale
1
thrill-seeker
others
mean response
0.5
0
-0.5
di
sa
ffo
fe
ic
ty
ul
tp
ab
la
ou
ce
tl
s
o
id
ca
e
le
lb
nt
ar
ify
ird
n
w
s
l
o
ha
c
a
tn
lb
o
ird
no
bo
s
th
ok
in
s
g
te
ca
ac
n't
h
do
al
to
on
o
e
sp
ec
ia
liz
sp
to
oi
ed
o
lw
ex
pe
ild
ns
er
iv
ne
e
ss
fe
el
in
g
le
ar
n
re
ac
h
fin
d
di
ffi
cu
lt
b
ird
s
-1
Figure 20: Preferences and opinions regarding commercial bird-watching tours by those scoring high and
low on the thrill-seeker scale
27

Although groups 1 and 5 (see Table 8) were at opposite ends of the spectrum of bird-focused to non-birdfocused and differed in some opinions (bird tours being too specialised and their willingness to camp to see a
new bird), they showed some similarities in their views on other aspects of guided tours. Respondents in both
groups appeared less likely than others to think guided tours could not offer anything they could not do by
themselves or to feel that guided tours spoil the wilderness feeling (Figure 21). They also appeared to be in
agreement that they would join tours to learn things (Figure 22), but group 5 were relatively more inclined to
join tours for safety or to find difficult birds (which may partially reflect the greater age of respondents in group
5). Groups 1 and 2 (the least bird-focused were, predictably, more inclined than others to think bird-watching
guided tours too specialised, but all groups had at least a slight overall tendency to think them too expensive.
mean response
0.6
0.4
G roup
G roup
G roup
G roup
G roup
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
can do all by
self
bird tours too

specialized
bird tours too

expensive
tours spoil
wilderness
feeling
willingly cam p
to see new bird
opinions on com m ercial tou rs
Figure 21: Responses to general statements about tours by the five groups recognised by the dendrogram
(Table 8)
1.00
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
0.75
0.50
0.25
0.00
birds
difficult to
find
safety
reach
difficult
places
learn
identify
about local birds
local birds
learn
beyond
books
reason for joining tour
Figure 22: Responses to reasons for joining tours by the five groups recognised by the dendrogram
(Table 8)
Most bird-watchers apparently would readily go bird-watching alone or with a small group in Australia
(Table 20), and many would do the same in most other world regions. There was also an appreciable number
who would travel alone or in small groups in western countries (including Australia) but not Africa or Latin
America, and some are also disinclined to do so in Asian countries.
Table 20: Numbers of respondents who would go bird-watching alone or with a small group
of people in various world regions
Respondents would go by self or small group in:
number
28
1
2
3
4
5

all regions
most regions (including Australia)
most regions (but not Australia)
Australia (whether or not elsewhere)
western countries and Asia, not Africa or Latin America
western countries, not Africa, Latin America or Asia
Australia only
total who would go by self or small group
40
26
4
136
62
14
22
172
There were 51 respondents who said they would never go on a guided tour anywhere (Table 21), but would
go alone or with a small group in most areas. About half this number said the reverse: that they would go on
guided tours in most areas but never by themselves or with a small group.
Table 21: Total number of respondents who said they would
always or never go bird-watching by commercial tour
total who would go by self but never tour
total who would tour but never go by self
51
24
Of those respondents who answered very important to the question of whether birds they saw were unique
to Australia, 60 said they would join a guided bird-watching tour in Australia and 137 said they would travel
alone or in small groups for bird-watching. There was some overlap between these two groups, with some
respondents willing to do both.
Multiple regression analysis identified several factors correlated with a tendency to go on guided tours (Table
22). Chief amongst these for a general tendency to join tour groups were enjoyment of social contact, birdwatching being the respondents favourite activity, and desire to see birds they had read about. Those choosing
to go on tours also tended to get their information on where to watch birds from natural history organisations and
did not tend to photograph many birds (possibly because tour groups may not wish to wait for serious
photographers trying for the perfect shot). Negative attitudes towards joining guided tours were generally
negatively correlated with interest in birds and other wildlife.
Table 22: Significant (and near-significant) results of regression analyses with opinions relating to guided
tours as dependent variable: df=225
Dependent variable
Guided tours dont usually
offer anything I cant do
myself
Guided bird-ward-watching
tours are too specialised for
me
Guided bird-ward-watching
tours are too expensive
Guided tours spoil the
wilderness feeling
Overall F(and P)
1.329 (0.115)
NS
[Like to see birds never

seen before]
1.495 (0.050)
0.813 (0.791)
NS
1.810 (0.006)
Direction of
correlation
-
0.049
I like hunting for sport

or would like to try it
find most information I
need is readily
available
[Bird-ward-watching is
my favourite activity]
0.004
0.035
0.019
[I read about birds of

my destinations]
[I like to see other
wildlife]
find most information I
need is readily
available
(0.057)
0.045
0.040
0.001
[I like to see vulnerable

species]
29

Dependent variable
I would join a tour for birds

difficult to find
I would join a tour for safety
Overall F(and P)
1.773 (0.007)
I like to see rare species

[I enjoy social contact
on bird-walks]
[I like watching what
birds are doing]
[Bird-watching is my
favourite activity]
Ill probably do some
bird-watching on my
next trip
[Id like to be able to
identify all Australian
birds]
[I like to see big birds]
0.943 (0.589) NS
I would join a tour for places

difficult to reach
1.339 (0.107) NS
I would join guided tours

(summation of all reasons for
joining a tour)
2.018 (0.018)
(for birds I like to
see)
2.987 (0.002)
(for deciding where
to go birding))
2.93 (0,002) (for
preferences on birdwalk)
2.540 (0.000 (for
various opinions
relating to birds
Direction of
correlation
+
-
0.005
0.034
0.005
0.004
0.012
0.002
(.0.050)
0.001
0.020
0.042
0.047
0.018
0.031
0.042
0.045
Like to see birds Ive

read about
0.000
Natural history
organisation
0.002
Enjoy social contact
0.003
[Often photograph
birds]
0.023
Bird-watching is my
favourite activity
0.037
I like to see birds Ive

read about
I enjoy social contact
on a bird-ward-walk
[I would rather disturb
a bird than fail to
identify it]
Bird-watching is my
favourite activity
[I like hunting]
I like to see other
wildlife
[I read about my
destinations]
I read about birds of
my destinations
When guides were asked what proportion of their guests expressed interest in specialised walks to see
particular hard-to-find species, four (of the eleven who returned completed questionnaires) said less than 20%,
one said 20 40%, one said 40 60 %, none said 60 80% and five said over 80%. This variation in part
probably reflects the kind of tour operation the guide belonged to.
Respondents varied greatly in their choice of accommodation (Figure 23). While 32.13% said they usually
camp when on a bird-watching trip, an almost equal number (34.54%) said they usually chose hotels. Another
21.29% said they usually stay at eco-lodges, and 16.47% at budget accommodation. These figures add to slightly
more than 100%, as some respondents claimed to usually stay in more than one kind of accommodation
(presumably because they did in fact frequently use both kinds). There did not appear to be any consistent
30

number of respondents usually

choosing accommodation
differences between men and women. Proportion of respondents using budget accommodation declined
predictably with age, and camping appears to make a sharp decline somewhere around the age of 65.
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
ehotel
ebudget
ecamp
elodge
m
<20
m
20-35
m
36-49
m
50-65
m
>65
age group and gender

Figure 23: Numbers of respondents choosing to stay in different classes of accommodation
Those scoring high on the dedicated birder scale were more likely than others to choose accommodation
other than hotels (Figure 24), whereas there was little difference in accommodation choice between those scoring
high and low on the thrill-seeker scale (Figure 25).
mean response
0.5
0
birders
nonbirders
-0.5
hotel
budget
camp
lodge
-1
accommodation choice
Figure 24: Proportions of birders and nonbirders (as defined above) choosing different styles of
accommodation during their travels
mean response
0.5
thrill-seeker
other
0
-0.5
-1
hotel
budget hostel
camp
lodge
Figure 25: Proportions of thrill-seekers (as defined above) and other respondents choosing different
styles of accommodation during their travels
31

profession/job/study involves birds plus my profession/job/study involves other animals) as dependent
variable and preferences/opinions regarding tours as independent was significant overall (F=2.084, df 176,
P=0.028). Individual t-tests within it showed a significant positive response to joining tours to find difficult birds
(P=0.001) and non-significant negative trends to join tours for safety (0.070) or identify local birds (0.056).
What equipment to bird-watchers have and where did they buy it?
In response to the questions of whether they buy or develop film in the country or state they are visiting, 34.54%
said they buy film but only 21.29% said they also have it developed while travelling. A number of respondents
noted that this question was not applicable to them as they had digital cameras.
Most respondents (Table 23) owned binoculars or bird books (some left this section blank, so the numbers
presented here is probably an under-estimate). More than a quarter also owned recorded birdcalls, telescopic
lenses for cameras or telescopes which were used for bird-watching. All items were most frequently bought in
Australia, with bird books and recorded birdcalls being bought within Australia far more often than elsewhere.
Table 23: Percentage of respondents who said they owned various items used largely for bird-watching
binoculars
Australian bird identification book
telescopic lenses for camera
telescope or spotting scope
recorded birdcalls (for identification)
% bought
elsewhere
% bought in
Australia
15.66
2.81
11.24
6.02
2.01
65.46
79.52
22.09
23.29
41.37
How do bird-watchers feel their experience could be improved in Australia?

The most common response to a question of what would improve the bird-watching experience in Australia
(Table 24) was more time to indulge in it, followed by action on habitat clearing and other conservation issues.
32

Table 24: Responses to the open-ended question about what would improve the bird-watching experience
in Australia
What would improve the experience
more time for indulging in the activity
action on habitat disappearance and other conservation
issues
better equipment (good binoculars etc)
more information (especially local information on good
birding sites)
guides and tours (more local guides, national park
rangers being given more time for guiding rather than
toilet-cleaning etc., budget-priced tours, more tours to
difficult-access areas)
more money (for travel, equipment etc.)
joining a club or other group of bird-watchers
better eyesight, hearing or general health
aids for identifying calls
better access to good birding sites (e.g. a softening of
trespassing laws, access for disabled)
more hides
Number of
respondents
37
32
26
25
24
20
17
11
10
9
4
Respondents opinions relating to conservation

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents wanted to see rare and endangered birds (Table 25). This was not
significantly correlated with the keeping of a life-list (see Table 9), suggesting that the desire to see rare and
endangered species was prompted by more than simply a desire to see all possible species. Around half of the
respondents had belonged to conservation organisations and/or attended at least one meeting on bird
conservation or general conservation issues over the past twelve years. Less than one-tenth of the respondents
agreed with the feeding of wild birds in national parks, but approximately twice as many felt it was okay to feed
them in less natural areas, and more than a quarter of the respondents thought it generally okay to feed wild birds
if appropriate foods were used. Many considered that feeding birds gave good photographic opportunities.
Almost all respondents were against hunting and disturbance of nesting birds, but some would prefer to disturb a
non-nesting bird than fail to identify it or to flush birds from grass or heathlands for a sighting.
Table 25: Responses to questions relating to conservation
I want to see birds that are vulnerable or endangered species
During the past 10 years I have belonged to a conservation organisation
During the past 10 years I have attended a meeting related to bird conservation
During the past 10 years I have attended a meeting related to conservation generally
Feeding wild birds gives good opportunities for photography
I have tended injured or orphaned wildlife
Feeding wild birds is usually okay if the right foods are used
Feeding wild birds gives a feeling of interaction with nature
Feeding wild birds is okay in cleared or non-natural areas
Its okay to flush birds from grass or heathlands for a sighting
Feeding wild birds should be allowed in some national parks
I would rather disturb a bird than fail to identify it
I enjoy hunting for sport or would like to try it
I would rather disturb it from a nest than fail to identify it
% respondents
61.7
54.8
51.6
50.0
40.7
37.5
29.0
28.2
18.1
16.5
9.3
7.7
1.61
1.6
There was little difference between birder and non-birder response to feeding birds, most respondents not
supporting the feeding of wild birds, with an apparent uncertainty or disagreement within each group as to
whether doing so gives good opportunity for interaction and photography (Figure 26).
33
mean response

0.5
0
birders
nonbirders
-0.5
-1
okay in
national
parks
okay in
cleared
areas
good photo
allows
okay if right
opportunity interaction foods used
Figure 26: Opinions on feeding birds by respondents scoring high (23 respondents) and low (30
respondents) on the dedicated birder scale (Table 8)
mean response
1
0.5
thrill-seeker
others
0
-0.5
si
nt
ay
er
ac
if
tio
ri
gh
n
tf
oo
ds
us
ed
un
ity
ok
al
lo
op
po
rt
re
d
ph
ot
o
cl
go
od
in
ok
ay
ok
a
in
na
tio
ea
na
lp
ar
ks
ar
ea
s
-1
Figure 27: Opinions on feeding birds by respondents scoring high and low on the thrill-seeker scale
(Table 8)
Only one guide reported frequent cases of bird-watchers disturbing birds or behaving as though they would
have if not prevented from doing so (Table 26). Most answered rarely or sometimes to the three questions
relating to disturbance of birds. Although as one guide pointed out, this depends what is meant by disturbance
fly from branch often, more serious very rare.
Another guide noted the following: Re disturbance: I try to avoid use of tapes, use very rarely and take care
not to overdo. Regular local clients happy, but many visitors, especially avid twitchers, seem to expect it. Other
guides use them as a matter of course, and very difficult to be competitive without doing the same.
Table 26: Responses of guides to questions on conservation-related behaviour
Question
How often do your guests:
Talk loudly enough to disturb birds?
Disturb birds while trying to identify them?
[Behave as though they] would have disturbed birds if guide hadn't
stopped them?
Never
1
3
3
No. of responses
Rarely
Sometimes
4
4
4
3
3
4
Often
0
1
1
Group size is one factor which could affect not only the quality of the experience but the effect of human
presence on birds (although behaviour of participants can certainly modify this, for instance a large group of
34

quiet humans would seem preferable to a small group of noisy ones). In response to a query to guides on their
preferred group size, the preferred minimum range from one to four, and the preferred maximum from four to 40
(mean minimum being 2 and mean maximum 14). The wide range in these figures probably reflects the
differences in tour type, ranging from small-group wilderness tours to introductory bird-walks at large ecolodges. Guides comments on group size included:
Even ten is too many in some bird habitats
For seeing bush birds small groups are definitely betterno larger than 12
More than four is too many
Specialise in small, personalised tours dont like more than ten
Ideally six to eight
Smaller groups make it easier to handle and pass on information, but larger groups usually have kids
which I try to involve
Prefer one to two
In response to a question on the actual size of groups usually taken, five guides reported usually taking less
than five persons, five reported 5 10, none reported 11 15, one reported 16 30 and none reported usually
taking more than 30.
One-eighth of the respondents mentioned conservation issues in the open-ended questions on bird-watching
in Australia (Table 24, Appendix D).
Personal observations of bird-watching tourists with relevance to conservation

Both authors have a long personal history of involvement with bird-watchers, and of bird-watching while
travelling. We have only seldom witnessed bird-watching tourists seriously disturbing birds, and very rarely
witnessed any problems with experienced birders. Those incidents we have witnessed however give sufficient
cause for concern to suggest that vigilance is needed by tour guides and that tour guides themselves should be
advised of potential problems.
One of the authors (Ronda Green) has been present on a number of nocturnal wildlife tours during the course
of this study where participants have wanted to take close-up flash photographs of frogmouths and owls. It was
always explained to the tourists that these birds may be temporarily blinded and collide with a branch or other
obstruction, and that regular use of flashlight photography in any locality may deter the birds from using
favoured hunting grounds. Most tourists accepted this without difficulty, but the occasional one was upset at not
being allowed to photograph the bird with a close-up flash, suggesting that in another group or travelling alone
they might have done so. Some tourists on nocturnal walks were rather slow to respond to the guides instruction
to take flashlights immediately from the direct gaze of owls or frogmouths and either drop the light to a point
where the birds were illuminated by the periphery or substitute a lower-intensity or red-filtered light. One tourist
on a wildlife tour refused to take the light off a sleeping hawk at night, being determined to identify it as it
became increasingly disturbed and eventually (still unidentified). The vast majority of bird-watching and general
wildlife tourists observed however were far more sensitive to the needs of the birds and other animals.
Wildlife tourists have been seen to want to approach nests or fledglings because of the obvious appeal of the
young birds, and some tour operators have made a point of showing eagle nests to guests. Most tourists seem to
understand and respect the need for non-disturbance at nests, but it is not always obvious to the less experienced
amongst them until explanation is given. It is possible also that not all tour guides are aware that eagles can be
prompted to desert eggs and nestlings at the approach of quite distant humans (e.g. Huxley 1994) reports that
golden eagles and divers leave their nests even when a walker, perhaps unaware of the vicinity of the birds is
still some distance away, exposing eggs to sometimes chilling temperatures.
35

Chapter 4
DISCUSSION
This study is the first comprehensive examination of the practices, preferences and perspectives of bird-watching
tourists in Australia. Previously, QTTC (1998) assessed the field in North Queensland from a market perspective
while Jones and Buckley (2001) provided a useful but generalized overview of bird-watching tourism based on
existing surveys. However, detailed information derived from a large sample of bird-watchers themselves had
not been previously attempted. Although many of the responses to our survey were mainly limited to one
geographical region (south-east Queensland), the bird-watchers originated form a wide range of locations, both
nationally and internationally (see Tables 1 and 2). We believe that the information obtained will be of
considerable value in attempts to understand this poorly studied segment of the tourism industry.
Bird-watcher diversity: defying the stereotype

In keeping with the QTTC (1998) study, most of the respondents were middle-aged or elderly. However,
whether this is because most bird-watchers actually are in this age group or whether people in this age had more
time, patience or inclination to fill in questionnaires is unknown. Females outnumbered males, but the same
uncertainty applies. QTTC (1998) found bird-watchers equally likely to be male or female. The most common
responses to the question about occupation were in accord with the QTTC finding that bird-watching tourists
tended to be more educated and more affluent than general tourists, and in professional occupations. This
suggests that the typical bird-watching tourist, if such exists, might be seen as a middle-aged or elderly welleducated man or (more commonly?) woman, which could well be borne in mind when marketing. Many also
grew bird-attracting plants in their gardens, could identify most birds close to their homes, and kept pets (or had
in the past) other than birds. However, bird-watchers as a whole appear to be a diverse group, and marketing
should not be entirely restricted to this demographic group.
Although there were some features most bird-watchers in the survey shared (e.g. over 95% wanted to see
wildlife other than birds and did not wish to ever go hunting for sport) there was also much variation, and the
groups identified by the dendrogram (Table 8) were far from clear-cut. The principle components analysis (Table
7) suggests that attributes of bird-watching tourists could be grouped into dedicated birders (scoring high on
such items as bird-watching being a favourite activity, ability to identify females and juveniles, habit of carrying
binoculars and recording what is seen), thrill-seekers (liking to see birds which for instance are big, predatory,
brightly-coloured, interacting with the observer, or doing something interesting), and those who have only a very
casual interest in seeing birds. However, there was no evidence that thrill-seekers were more or less likely than
others to also be dedicated birders (Figure 6), and the analysis accounted for less than half the variance before
identifying groups of features which were not easily interpretable. More extensive studies with many more
respondents would probably be needed to effectively ascertain meaningful groupings and their relative
proportions in the bird-watching tourism community.
What is obvious is that bird-watching tourists are not simply a group of fanatical twitchers who are
interested only in adding new species to their life-lists and taking no further interest in the birds themselves or
other wildlife (a popular view in some quarters). A number of respondents in the open-ended questions indicated
that they included bird-watching as just a part of other activities such as hiking, while many others named it as
their favourite activity. Seeing birds they had never seen before was important to more than three-quarters of
respondents, but less than half actually kept a life-list, while over two-thirds of all respondents were very
interested in bird ecology and more than three-quarters in bird behaviour. Indeed, the keeping of a life-list was
positively correlated with interest in bird behaviour and bird ecology, defying the idea that those who ticked off
species on life-lists were necessarily interested only in a stamp-collecting approach to bird-watching. More than
70% of respondents said bird-watching was their favourite activity, while just over 40% claimed birds as their
favourite animals, suggesting many would enjoy other kinds of wildlife-viewing just as much if it were as easy
to find other animals in the wild. This is in keeping with the finding that most (94%) were interested in seeing
wildlife other than birds.
36

Another sign that there was a diversity of people included amongst the bird-watchers was the variety of
responses to open-ended questions (Appendix D)k, for example:
disgusted at conservative birders who, like non-unionists, benefit from work of conservationists, some
ecotours and other tours included. GO GREENS and SOCIALIST ALLIANCE
a wonderful, relaxing, healthy pastime, giving peace and contentment from the wonders of the detail
given by our Creator through nature. Praise be to Him!
mainly interested in plants interest in bids is part of that
in a time when life moves at such a fast pace, and one is bombarded with issues and an abundance of
information, it would be just too difficult to cope without [bird-watching].
Thus, although our respondents probably included a high proportion of those which QTTC (1998) would
define as fanatics or twitchers we would agree with their conclusion that the majority of bird-watchers do
not ... conform to the stereotypical image of a bird-watcher, and should not be marketed to as such. The
overlapping of the apparent syndromes of dedicated birders and thrill-seekers suggests that tour operators
would do well to consider what they can offer for each syndrome and for those tourists who belong to both.
Tourists who do not belong to either but still at least occasionally watch birds can still be marketed to where
appropriate by offering the opportunity to participate in optional short bird-walks, or by mentioning that birds
are amongst the wildlife or natural features viewed while on tour or near the accommodation.
What birds do bird-watchers want to see?

There was wide variation in the features deemed important, and tourism operators should not be too narrow in
their thinking about the birds that bird-watchers are interested in. There was certainly an interest in seeing rare
and vulnerable species, emphasizing the importance of habitat preservation in localities where tourism can be
permitted, and the training (including self-training) of guides to locate and show such birds with minimal
disturbance. It is also clear however, from the results of the open-ended questions, that more common species are
also important to many bird-watchers. The potential is certainly there for quality interpretation of the behaviour
and ecology even of common species to expand this interest for both novice and experienced birders. What may
appear so common as to be beneath the notice of some tour operators and local bird-watchers may be novel and
exciting to tourists from elsewhere. One of the authors (Ronda Green) was on a tour a few years ago when an
American guest asked hey whats that big black and white bird? The guide asked where, and kept looking but
apparently failing to see it. The American tourist was getting increasingly frustrated, saying right there, on the
grass! until Ronda Green suggested to the driver that he probably meant the Australian magpie. The driver, an
experienced wildlife tour leader, reacted with surprise that the magpie would be seen as something interesting,
although it is one of the largest passerines, belongs to a sub-family endemic to Australia and New Guinea and
has many interesting aspects to its behaviour.
Birds Ive never seen before, as might be expected from travellers, achieved one of the highest ratings, and
could at first sight be interpreted as a competitive wish to expand their life-lists beyond that of other birdwatchers. The generally low score for birds my friends have never seen (although somewhat higher for
dedicated birders) argues against this, and suggests rather that the seeing of a new bird brings the satisfaction of
expanding ones own knowledge or the enjoyment of novelty, rather than a drive to out-do others.
Tropical North Queensland operators in the QTTC study (1998) reported that international bird-watchers
generally come to Australia to see particular endemic species or as many species as possible in the available time
(QTTC 1998). They estimated that 80% of their customers are international, naming wealthy Americans as
amongst the most obsessed and that information on rare species is more appreciated than general bird lists. A
high proportion of visitors in their study came from other parts of Australia, and there was a perception amongst
operators that interest amongst Australians is growing. Some operators felt the Asian market had little if any
potential, but others disagreed and especially pointed to a growing interest in Japan. One of the respondents in
our own study informed us that there are about 350 bird-watching associations in Japan, suggesting a high level
of interest. Numbers and diversity of origin of international tourists in our study were too low to comment on
these findings.
We anticipated that birds unique to Australia would be more important to visitors to Australia or those who
had never previously watched birds in Australia. There were however no apparent differences between those
who had watched birds only in Australia and those who had never watched birds in Australia (Table 11).
Unfortunately our question of whether the respondent had watched birds in Australia did not specifically exclude
watching birds during the current visit, so very few responded as not having watched birds here. There were
37

however no apparent differences in interest in endemism between those who had lived only in Australia and
those who had never lived here.
Of 36 Australian species listed by Birdlife Internal (http://www.birdlife.net/index.html: see Appendix C) as
being globally vulnerable, endangered or critical, 22 were mentioned by respondents either as favourite
memories or birds they would like to see, and 18.2 % of the total responses to these questions involved
threatened species. Many other memories and wish-lists included rare or hard-to-find species such as marbled
frogmouths or bristlebirds. However, many also involved very common and conspicuous birds such as pelicans,
galahs, willy wagtails, magpies and red wattlebirds.
Although big was once of the least-selected attributes of birds, the attraction of large size should not be
discounted. 14% of the responses to the questions of favourite memories and birds they wished to see
collectively involved large birds. It seems likely that tourists more interested in wildlife than in birds as such are
likely to see large birds such as cassowaries, eagles and pelicans as wildlife but overlook many smaller species
that are highly interesting to more serious birders. The great diversity of favoured memories and wish-lists
suggested both are worth catering to and marketing to.
Seeing birds is not the only way of enjoying their presence. Amongst the attributes of bird life at Green
Mountains, (Tisdell and Wilson 2004), hearing birds was given the highest rating, followed by large variety
or diversity of birds, seeing lots of birds, and presence of rare birds in that order, with close physical contact
with birds and brightly coloured birds ranking much lower. Birds that are singing or giving strange,
memorable calls was selected as important by less than a third of our respondents overall, but given one of the
highest ratings by non-birders and birds that are interacting with me received one of the lowest scores both
overall and by non-birders.
What do bird-watchers want on bird-walks?

Identification of birds seen, watching what birds are doing and social contact emerged as the three most
important factors for enjoying a bird-walk. Very few opted for walks of less than half an hour (although some
did, and it is unknown whether this was due to lack of interest or perhaps physical infirmity). Guides of
commercial tours would probably do well to attempt a balance between these factors.
Low scores were given to preferences for preferring no talking and being alone: presumably those who enjoy
solo bird-watching usually do it alone rather than join bird-walks, although it is possible they would still enjoy
specialised small-group bird tours.
Slightly less than half agreed that they liked to see children joining the group, and one wrote in the margin
that it depends very much on the child involved. Some tour operators do not take children and it may well be
worthwhile to mention this in their marketing, for those bird-watchers seeking an experience without children.
Conversely, others may find it worth marketing the fact that they welcome children. Others might experiment
with ways of striking a balance between the two if they wish to include children but also serious bird-watchers
who do not want the disruption of childrens voices and hyperactivity.
How do bird-watchers decide on travel destinations for bird-watching

Travel agents were not a popular means of deciding where to go birding (Table (14). This could well lead to a
positive feedback system whereby travel agents underestimate the numbers of people interested in birding and
therefore do not make an effort to keep information on bird-watching opportunities. Tourists interested in
watching birds would therefore soon realise the lack and not seek such information from travel agents. In
consulting with Birds Australia and Birds Queensland (at that time known as Queensland Ornithological Society
Inc.), QTTC concluded that bird-watching organisations do not like commercial operations trying to market
themselves through their newsletters, meetings, Internet chat groups etc. Such organisations however are
generally happy to accept paid advertisements or informative articles about birds by tour operators.
Eighty of the respondents said that bird-watching was a major reason for visiting Australia, but 50 of these
were Australian. Thus for at least 30 of the 55 non-Australian respondents, birds were at least one of the
incentives for visiting Australia.
38

We assume the 50 Australians meant that birds were part of their motivation for visiting other parts of
Australia, which should be borne in mind by travel agents catering to interstate travel.
QTTC (1998) found the strongest markets for bird-watching tourism destinations to be word of mouth and
bird-watching magazines (e.g. Wingspan, The Bird Observer). Twitchers in particular appeared to seek
information from these, rather than more traditional sources such as travel agents, travel books or tour operators.
Twitchers were also more likely to use the Internet for such information, the Americans showing a greater
tendency than British for doing so. Our own study supported the importance of word of mouth and information
(presumably including publications) from natural history organisations, but suggested the Internet was not well
used, either by dedicated birders or by others. It is possible American bird-watchers use the Internet for birding
sites more frequently than Australians and other nationalities included in our survey.
A number of respondents in our study complained that information centres and other tourism outlets have
insufficient information for bird-watchers. There are some information centres that do have such information, for
instance those at Boonah (Queensland), Mudgee, Orange, Dubbo and Murwillumbah (New South Wales) but
there is obviously much scope for others to provide quality information on where and when to see a diversity of
birds and particular species of birds. One respondent (Appendix D) made the point that the travelling time
between sites in Australia makes quality information especially important.
Accommodation and other expenditure

The QTTC (1998) study found that twitchers tended to camp close to good birding spots, while others tended
to choose high-quality accommodation. Our own study also showed dedicated birders to be more likely to
camp or to (less commonly) stay in lodges rather than hotels. Camping appeared less popular amongst those over
65, but it would seem a mistake for tour leaders and others in the industry to expect it to necessarily decline soon
after middle-age, as it was still highly popular in the 50 65 age group. Campers may not spend much on
camping in some regions, but it would be of interest to know how much they spend on petrol, food and other
supplies in places visited compared to expenditure in the cities they typically depart from, and also how
frequently foreign visitors buy camping supplies such as tents, sleeping bags and cooking equipment within
Australia. Managers of camp grounds close to habitats with a diversity of birds or supporting rare or particularly
interesting species might do well to promote this in their advertising (beyond the common inclusion of birdwatching with no further details amongst activities). Tour operators should note that many bird-watching
enthusiasts are very willing to camp, and that many said most bird-watching tours are too expensive for them: by
including at least some nights of (comfortable) camping in interesting places, the cost of some tours could be
reduced
Although many bird-watching tourists in our study (about one-third) said they usually camp when on birdwatching expeditions, a substantial proportion usually stay in hotels or eco-lodges, while a relatively small
proportion stay in budget accommodation. This suggests their expenditure while travelling around Australia
could be substantial. Additionally, most owned Australian bird books, the great majority of which were bought
within Australia. Over 40% owned recorded birdcalls, most of which were bought in Australia. Binoculars
(which most respondents owned), telescopes and telescopic lenses were also bought in Australia more often than
elsewhere. These figures mostly include Australians but also some overseas visitors, and suggest a healthy input
into the Australian economy.
Tisdell and Wilson (2000) found that on average, day-trippers to Green Mountains spent $19 per day in the
area, patrons of the Guest House $216 per day and campers at the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
campground $23 per day, and those staying overnight elsewhere in the district $90 per day. One American
respondent wrote, in response to one of the open-ended questions: We've arranged our entire tour to maximise
naturalist hikes, birding and gorgeous scenery, avoided groups > 10 12, had some opportunities through friends
not available to most tourists. Keep nature tourism small scale!!! Australia will get >$10,000 US on our
ecotourism this year.
Problems expressed by tour guides

Bureaucracy and the expense of licences is a problem for small businesses generally, and bird-watching tour
operations are no exception. One of the guides responding to the questionnaire for bird-watching tour guides
39

commented I operate Australia-wide. The amount of permits, accreditation, licences, insurance requirements,
etc. I face is enormous. Maybe Im the only one, or the only one that cares about the paperwork, but it costs
much time and money. If its okay to do things in one state, other states should accept by mutual recognition.
There is certainly frustration amongst bird-watching tourism operators that tourist agencies do not take birdwatching tourism seriously. One tour guide complained that the tourism industry saw it only as a minor niche
market. At an ATC seminar a couple of years ago, she wrote, gay and lesbian tourism was highlighted as an
important tourism nice. Yet bird-watching never rated a mention, even though international bird-watchers count
Australia as one of the most important countries to visit because of our unique taxa! Because the tourism
authorities are ignorant theyre missing bird-watching tourism Bird-watching tourism is a niche market, but
perhaps not as small as some imagine, perhaps because of the positive feedback cycle mentioned above - travel
agents not providing information because they do not get many queries, and bird-watchers not approaching
travel agents because they lack information. If information is provided by travel agencies for travelers who
express an interest, not just in bird-watching but in wildlife or nature tourism generally, and the availability of
such information promoted in tourist literature, perhaps this situation could slowly change.
How can the tourism industry enhance bird-watchers experiences

in Australia?
The provision of quality information is important, especially the kinds of birds to be seen in local areas and when
and where to look for particular species or for a good diversity of birds. Enhancement of communication
between information centres and bird-watching organisations may help the former to acquire information. In
some rural areas it could also provide additional income for experienced bird-watchers to lead excursions for
visiting tourists (although increases in public liability premiums in recent years may negate such advantage).
Travel agencies could also provide information on useful books and websites that visitors might seek out, and
much more information than is currently available information on camping grounds and accommodation close to
good birding areas.
The concern for conservation of birds and their habitats (Table 24, Appendix D and next section of report)
suggests that the tourism industry should not only support conservation of bird habitat (and, where appropriate,
habitat restoration) but be clearly seen to be doing so.
Although there was praise for good guides, and the authors of this report know of a number of very good and
knowledgeable guides of bird-walks, there are some problems. One guide who responded to our questionnaire
wrote that because tourism authorities do not take bird-watching seriously enough thats resulting in ignorant
operators advertising bird-watching and getting away with it. She cited examples of serious misinformation
about birds by untrained guides. Guidelines and training for guides and appropriate accreditation may improve
the situation, and raise the credibility of birding and wildlife tours in Australia.
Some respondents, while opposing feeding in national parks, were less inclined to oppose it in less natural
areas, and provide food for birds other than bird-attracting plants at their own homes. Many felt it provided good
photographic opportunities. One New Zealander wrote Before living in Oz I thought feeding wild birds was
wrong, but in city backyard feeder gives hours of enjoyment for everyone, is part of Aussie culture with huge
numbers of parrotseasy to believe no negative effect. A paper by Howard and Jones (2004) showed that
about one-third of Brisbane residents provide food for wild birds: this surprisingly high proportion suggests it to
be a popular and satisfying activity for many people. It is possible that conservation problems may be
outweighed in well-regulated feeding stations by the positive bonding that people gain from close contact with
birds, although this needs further study (Green and Higginbottom 2001). Any feeding of wild birds for tourists
however should be done within guidelines prepared by persons with a knowledge of bird ecology.
Other suggestions include provision of more hides, provisions of more general tours which include birdwatching, and availability of low-cost self-catered birding tours (Table 24, Appendix D).
40

Bird-watchers and conservation

There appeared to be a general awareness of and concern for conservation. Very few said they would prefer to
disturb a bird rather than fail to identify it (although there are many possible interpretations of disturb) and
preferring to disturb a nesting bird achieved one of the lowest of all ratings.
One-eighth of the respondents mentioned concerns about bird conservation in the open-ended questions (Table
24, Appendix D).
Most respondents did not enjoy hunting for sport or wish to try it. It would be interesting to repeat this
questionnaire with more respondents from America and other countries where hunting is practiced by a relatively
large %age of the population. The proportion of hunters who are also bird-watchers is unknown. Nor is it known
for instance whether those who are both hunters and bird-watchers would show concern for conservation issues
in other ways, or prefer solo bird-watching to joining a group. The latter however is suggested by the negative
correlations between a liking of hunting and tendency to join a commercial tour.
Attitudes to feeding varied, but most considered it quite inappropriate in national parks. Dedicated birders
seemed less inclined than others to feed birds at home, possibly because they are more aware of adverse effects
of increasing the populations of some species over others, but more inclined to plant bird-attracting plants.
The feeding of birds at picnic tables and camping grounds is common (pers. obs.), and an obvious temptation
to many people who like birds. Interaction with birds did not figure highly in our respondents answers, but did
achieve positive scores with some, and feeding is the most common way of interacting with wild birds. One
wildlife tourist from New Zealand expressed annoyance to Ronda Green that national parks forbade feeding:
Dont they realise we come here to see these creatures? It was explained to her, as to other tourists, that the
regular feeding of one species may cause it to increase to the eventual detriment of others, that they may become
dependent on human handouts, and that appropriate foods may not always be offered. She understood this but
she and others still felt it would be satisfying to be allowed to feed appropriate food to appropriate species in
other, less natural areas where preserving a natural ecosystem was already impossible.
If feeding is to be allowed in some situations, there should be more research on the effects of different foods
in different seasons (although we do know some generalities, such as more protein being needed for raising
nestlings, and more energy reserves needed before migration). We also need to know the effects on the birds
behaviour, which can be subtle and affect other species. For instance, the provision of fruiting shrubs such as
hawthorn and cotoneaster in New England seem to have encouraged pied currawongs to remain in the district
during winter, ready to prey on nestlings of other species in early spring (H. Recher, pers. comm.).
Other conservation concerns we know too little about are the effects of various kinds of behaviour on
different species while spotlighting, and the effects of regular bird-watching activity in any locality on the more
cryptic species such as quail, button-quail and nightjars (see Green and Higginbottom 2001).
There was insufficient time available within this study to conduct research into the actual practices of birdwatching tourists, but some preliminary observations were made. Only very occasional serious disturbances (i.e.
activities that resulted in something more than just inducing a diurnal non-nesting bird to fly from a tree during
daylight hours) were witnessed, and tour guides reported very few problems. Several guides did indicate that
birds would have been disturbed more often if they had not intervened, and this concurs with observations by
Ronda Green, and although the rate even of such potential disturbance appears to be low it could well be
problematical where threatened species or fragile habitats are involved. The disruption of natural ecological
processes in protected areas or wilderness could also be a potential problem, especially with large groups or
inexperienced guides and bird-watchers.
Most cases of disturbance to birds (apart from the apparently non-serious event of a non-breeding bird flying
from one tree to another while being followed) do appear to be due to lack of understanding rather than lack of
caring. This concurs with the finding that most respondents were against disturbing birds, especially at their
nests, against hunting and against feeding in national parks. It implies the need for guidelines.
41

Guidelines (for both tour operators and individual tourists) should not be so vague and general as to be
difficult for the less experienced to apply in real situations. What is too close to the nest of one bird for instance
may be very different for another. We know eagles will desert at much greater distances than many coloniallybreeding birds (Huxley 1994) we know quite a lot about what disturbs penguins, even to the point of deserting
their eggs (Fowler 1999, Geise 1996 McClung et al 2004). We know far less about the critical distances for
many forest and grassland birds, although many experienced birders will have at least some idea for birds they
are especially familiar with, and the actual behaviour of observers will influence the distance at which they can
safely watch. There is an obvious need to collate and disseminate what is known for provision of useful
guidelines, and to recognize what is not known to direct further research.
A final note
We are very aware of the time that has elapsed for various reasons between the conducting of this study and
publication of the results. Rather than update the discussion now with recent references, we are presenting it at
the state of our knowledge on completion of the study, and future publications will explore this in the light of
more recent work.
42

APPENDIX A: Questionnaire distributed to bird-watchers
Bird-watching Tourism in Australia

Hi!
This questionnaire forms part of a study for the CRC for Sustainable Tourism, based
at Griffith University.
We are attempting to find out what people are most interested in when birdwatching. We are also trying to understand the diversity amongst people who watch
birds (from keen birders to those who may only occasionally join in a bird-walk because
friends want them to). The final results of the study will help us to offer advice to the
tourism industry, conservation agencies and interpretive centres.
PLEASE NOTE:
You are a bird-watcher even if you have only been on one bird-watching walk!
If you dont have time to do all questions, please do the sections marked with
thenif time permitsthose with . If you can do it allgreat!!!
, and
All information is kept strictly confidential (so please do not record your name
on this form)
________________________________________________________________
Many thanks for assisting us with this

survey!
The Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism was
formed in 1997 as a partnership between universities, governments and
the industry to provide reliable knowledge for and of tourism nationally
and internationally. This survey is part of research program
investigating wildlife tourism.
For more information visit: www.crctourism.com.au
43

The birds I like to see

Score the importance to you for each of the following by ticking the appropriate box.
I particularly like to see birds that are:
Little or no Of some
Very
importance importance important
to me
to me to me
unique to Australia .........................................................................

unique to the part of Australia Im visiting.....................................
rare ..................................................................................................
vulnerable or endangered species ...................................................
species Ive never seen before .......................................................
species my friends/colleagues/family have never seen ..................
brightly-coloured, elegant or attractive in some other way.............
exhibiting unusual or intriguing behaviour ....................................
interacting with me (e.g. approaching for hand-feeding )...............
readily photographed ...... ..............................................................
big (eagles, cockatoos, herons etc) ................................................
predatory (eagles, owls etc) ............................................................
singing or giving strange, memorable calls ....................................
species Ive read about or seen on documentaries ..........................
How I decide where to see them
My decisions on where to go bird-watching (other than close to home) are based on:
Rarely/never Sometimes Often
travel books...........................................................................
natural history (including bird) organisations.......................
travel agents or travel agency literature.................................
bird books or bird journals.....................................................
advice of friends/family.........................................................
Internet ..................................................................................
documentaries........................................................................
National Park (or similar) literature.......................................
places Im going to anyway to visit friends or relatives etc..
places I like for other reasons (e.g. seaside, forest)......
other........................................................................................................................
44

My attitudes to birds and bird-watching
Tick the appropriate box to indicate how much you agree with the following statements:
Generally |Neither|Generally | DONT
DISAGREE | D nor A| AGREE | KNOW
When Im bird-watching I:

(please answer even if youve only been bird-watching once) Dis Agr DK
- soon get bored unless there is an entertaining guide ...........
- enjoy socializing with other bird-watchers..........................
- like to see children joining the group....................................
- prefer no one to talk ...........................................................
- like to identify every bird I see.............................................
- would rather disturb a bird than fail to identify it................
- would rather disturb it from a nest than fail to identify it...
- prefer to be alone.................................................................
- spend a lot of time watching what the birds are doing ........
- join in mainly because family or friends want me to..........
I want to add as many species as possible to my life-list ......
(i.e., a list of all bird species seen during ones lifetime)
Its okay to flush birds from grass or heathlands for a sighting...
Putting names to everything spoils appreciation of beauty..........
Bird-watching is one of my favourite activities ..........................
Ill probably do some bird-watching next time I travel ..............
Birds are my favourite animals ...................................................
I enjoy sketching or painting birds...............................................
I can identify females and juveniles of many Australian birds...
I would like to be able to identify every Australian bird ............
I am very interested in the ecology of birds ................................
I am very interested in the behaviour of birds .............................
I enjoy hunting for sport or would like to try it...........................
I usually read a lot about any destination before visiting ...........
I often read about birds of my destination before visiting ..........
I have traveled internationally to re-visit a bird-watching site...
Guided tours spoil the wilderness feeling ..................................
Generally| Neither|Generally | Dont
DISAGREE | D nor A | AGREE | know
When travelling I:
- often carry binoculars just in case I see an interesting bird ...

- often record what birds I see(e.g. in a notebook) ..................
- often take photos of wild birds................................................
- am keen on seeing wildlife (other than birds)........................
- often visit national parks or reserves for bird-watching..........
45

- willingly go camping to see a bird Ive never seen ..............
- find most information I need is readily available .................
I would join a guided commercial bird tour:
- to see species which are rare or difficult to find ....................
- in areas where solo travel may not be safe .............................
- if it took me to places I couldnt normally reach ...................
- to learn interesting things about local birds............................
- to help me learn to identify birds of the locality ...................
- to learn things that are not easily gleaned from books...........
Guided tours dont usually offer anything I cant do myself ......
Most bird-watching tours are too specialised for me...................
Most bird-watching tours are too expensive ..............................
Feeding wild birds:
- should be allowed in some national parks........................
- is okay in cleared or non-natural areas ............................
- gives good opportunities for photography.......................
- gives a feeling of interaction with nature ........................
- is usually okay if the right foods are used ......................
At home (including any previous home) I:
- have raised or tended orphaned or injured native birds ......
- can identify most local birds ..............................................
- have kept pet birds ..............................................................
- have kept other pets .............................................................
- grow native plants to attract birds ........................................
- feed wild birds (other than by growing food plants) ....
My general involvement with birds and other wildlife

My job / profession / study:
seldomnever
sometimes
involves birds ...........................................................

involves other animals or plants ...............................
I belong to (or have belonged to in the past 10 years) to at least one:
bird-watching organisation
other natural history organisation
conservation organisation
wildlife caring group (i.e. raising orphaned or injured animals)
breeding or other captive bird group
bush-walking group
photography group
travel club
46
often

I have attended (during the past 10 years):
travel talks which have included bird-watching advice
adult education classes on birds
conferences focussing on birds
public talks (e.g. at museums) on birds
photography classes including advice on bird or wildlife photography
meetings relevant to bird conservation
meetings relevant to wildlife conservation generally
I possess the following (or regularly use one belonging to my family) largely for bird-watching:
(tick correct box as appropriate) bought in:
Australia | Elsewhere
Binoculars ................................................
Australian bird identification book...........
Telescopic lens for camera........................
Telescope or spotting scope......................
Recorded birdcalls (for identification) .....
Other
Other Pacific
New Zealand
USA / Canada
Asia
Africa or Latin
America
UK, Europe
Australia
World travel
Where Ive been:

I have lived in:
I have been bird-watching
in:
Bird-watching was one of
my major reasons for visiting:
What I would do IF visiting:
(whether or not Ive
actually
been there)
If I was bird-watching in
this region I would probably
join at least one bird-watching
tour
If I was bird-watching in
this region I would probably
do it alone or with a small
group:
47

While travelling:
never occasionally usually
I stay in hotels or motels

I stay in hostel/budget accommodation
I camp in or near natural areas
I stay in lodges or guests houses in / near natural areas
I buy film in the country/state Im visiting
I have photos developed in the country/state Im visiting
__________________________________________________________
Other information
Are you: male

<14 years
female
14 -19
20-35
? (tick appropriate box)

35-49
50-65
>65?
What is your main (not necessarily current) profession/employment/study?...........................

(Please be fairly specifice.g. industrial biochemist rather than biologist
What is your nationality? ..........................
Please tell us 3 of your most memorable bird sightings in Australia
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
Name 3 Australian birds you would particularly like to see in the future
................................................................ ...........................................................................
Three parts of Australia that are exciting for bird-watching are:
............................................................... ...............................................................
Something that would really improve my bird-watching experiences in Australia would be:
...................................................................................................................................................
Any other comments on bird-watching in Australia?
...................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
Thank you very much once again for taking the time to fill in this survey!
48

APPENDIX B: Questionnaire distributed to bird-watchers

Questionnaire for tour guides and other nature interpreters who lead birdwatching activities
1. What proportion (approximately) of people staying at or visiting your establishment or park join a birdwatching activity or an activity which includes bird-watching?
Day visitors:
<20%
20-40%
Staying overnight or longer

(if applicable)
40-60%
<20%
60-80%
20-40%
>80%
40-60%
60-80%
>80%
Not applicableI run tours, and am not based at a particular destination

2. What proportion (approximately) do some bird-watching on their own while either visiting or staying at
your establishment or park?
<20%
20-40% 40-60% 60-80% >80%
Not applicable - I run tours, and am not based at a particular destination
3. What proportion of people joining bird-watching activities express interest in a specialised walk to see
particular hard-to-find species?
<20%
4.
20-40%
40-60%
60-80%
>80%
What size group do you usually lead for bird-watching activities?

<4
5-10 11-15 16-30
>20
5. What range of group sizes do you lead for bird-watching? From .......... to .......... people in a group.
Any comments on group size? ...................................................................................................
6.
How often do guests complain about:
other members of the group making too much noise:
other members of the group wearing bright clothes:
children attending bird-walks
the group size being too large
not enough birds being seen
having to get up too early
being uncomfortable (cold weather, wet grass etc)
anything else
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
PTO : Just a few more questions on the other side of this page
49

Questionnaire for tour guides other nature interpreters (continued)
7.
Who tend to ask the most questions about birds? ( e.g. experienced birders, novice bird-watchers,
children, foreign visitors .........?)
............................................................. ...........................................................
8.
How often would people in the bird-watching group you are
leading:
drop out of the group to look at birds on their own?
drop out of the group and stop bird-watching
ask questions relating to bird identification?
ask questions relating to bird behaviour?
ask questions relating to bird ecology?
talk loudly enough to disturb birds?
want to photograph the birds you see?
be able to already identify most of the birds you see?
disturb birds while trying to identify them?
would have disturbed birds if you hadn't stopped them?
tell you things you didnt know about the birds?
9.
Never
Rarely
Somtimes
Often
Are there particular seasons when more bird-watchers tend to visit?
10. Any other comments youd like to make?:

....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................
Many thanks for filling out this questionnaire!

We hope the results of this survey will ultimately be of value to bird-watchers, tour guides and nature
interpreters, and indirectly to bird themselves.
Return this form in the reply-paid envelope to
Ronda Green, AES, ENS, Griffith University,
Nathan Qld 4111
The Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism was formed in 1997 as a
partnership between universities, governments and the industry to provide reliable knowledge for
and of tourism nationally and internationally. This survey is part of research program
investigating wildlife tourism.
For more information on the CRC visit: www.crctourism.com.au
50

APPENDIX C: Globally threatened species in Australia

(from Birdlife Internal (http://www.birdlife.net/index.html))
Species
Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)
Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes chrysocome)
Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus)
Snares Crested Penguin (Eudyptes robustus)
Royal Penguin (Eudyptes schlegeli)
Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans)
Black-browed Albatross (Thalassarche melanophrys)
Grey-headed Albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma)
Southern Giant-petrel (Macronectes giganteus)
Gould's Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera)
Providence Petrel (Pterodroma solandri)
White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis)
Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)
Red Goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus)
Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)
Black-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix melanogaster)
Buff-breasted Buttonquail (Turnix olivii)
Plains-wanderer (Pedionomus torquatus)
Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
Lord Howe Woodhen (Gallirallus sylvestris)
Carnaby's Black-cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris)
Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)
Golden-shouldered Parrot (Psephotus chrysopterygius)
Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster)
Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor)
Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis)
Albert's Lyrebird (Menura alberti)
Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus)
Mallee Emuwren (Stipiturus mallee)
White-throated Grasswren (Amytornis woodwardi)
Western Bristlebird (Dasyornis longirostris)
Eastern Bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus)
Forty-spotted Pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus)
Regent Honeyeater (Xanthomyza phrygia)
Black-eared Miner (Manorina melanotis)
Gouldian Finch (Erythrura gouldiae)
Category
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
endangered
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
endangered
endangered
vulnerable
endangered
endangered
vulnerable
endangered
critical
endangered
critical
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
vulnerable
endangered
endangered
endangered
endangered
endangered
51

APPENDIX D i.: Unedited responses of overseas visitors to an open-ended

question about bird-watching in Australia
Response
Nationality
We've arranged our entire tour to maximize naturalist hikes, birding &
gorgeous scenery, avoided groups > 10-12, had some opportunities
through friends not available to most tourists. Keep nature tourism small
scale!!! Australia will get >$10,000 US on our ecotourism this year
American
Australia is blessed with the most beautiful birds: please look after them all American
Most information offices in Australia have no idea where to go for birding,
and they need checklists of local sightings
I would like 2-3 week wildlife (not just bird) tours to different areas with
knowledgeable guides
At home in England I find unusual/rare birds very interesting, but in
Australia. I don't recognise anything (except kookaburras!) so less exciting
(still interesting though)
Australia has much more colourful & characterful birds than Britain:
aristocracy seems to have massacred anything vivid
Coming from England I really dislike the lack of access to private land &
the way any walking can be considered "trespass"
American
British
British
British
British
A great place for birds, but can be hard work and it's too big
British
I find professional tours financially out of reach. I would willingly pay
British
local bird-watching people to show me around their area providing the cost
was reasonable to pensioners: I would do the same for others
It is surprising that so few Australians realise the pleasures of birdBritish
watching: ornithologists at sites often seem to be European
Where are the bird-watchers? Even in national parks no one has binoculars British
Wonderful!
Wonderful variety of birds and habitat - great place to visit; people have
always been most helpful and kind
Tour guide literature doesn't help overseas travellers find & identify birds
British
British
Canada
Except in parks, most birds are too shy; I have not seen many in wilderness German
I would prefer a tour package including a hike, bird-watching and a
documentary on birds (endemic, natural, introduced and other general
facts)
Simply great: what a privilege to live here
German
German
I believe birding in Australia is still very much in its infancy: the numbers Irish
of birders are relatively small This is good in some respects - more chance
of having an area to yourself - but species may be overlooked, and there is
little political conservation clout with small numbers
Lots of colourful birds. Bird-watching is still a lot too 'elitist'/snobbish
overall, but getting better. Bird-watching organisations should be larger,
and attract more people by being less specialised
Many species, but large area to cover
52
Irish
New Zealand

Response
Nationality
Before living in Oz I thought feeding wild birds was wrong, but in city
backyard feeder gives hours of enjoyment for everyone, is part of Aussie
culture with huge numbers of parrots - easy to believe no negative effect
New Zealand
I'm a writer from South Africa & watch birds whenever it's possible to do
so - but I have a long way to go! Commitments with family living here,
friends, don't offer enough time for bird-watching
South African
It is great fun and very rewarding
South African
53

APPENDIX D. ii.: Unedited responses of bird-watchers of dual nationalities

to an open-ended question about bird-watching in Australia
Response
Nationality
BOCA does a fine job
Two very similar:

Australian/Fijian and
Australian/ Canadian
Australian/Danish
Australia is great for bird-watching! Unique species and great variation
From an ex-pat Brit's point of view, the opportunities for bird-watching are Australian/British
amazing. Also totally untapped as far as tourism goes. My local catchment
area contains >190 spp. Why doesn't Brisbane market itself as the 'city of
birds' (rather than 'most liveable', whatever that means!)
54
Tourist authorities have very little info on bird-watching (exceptions e.g.

Barraba, Adelaide) & landowners could make additional income
encouraging bird-watching groups on their properties, in converted
shearing sheds etc.
Australian/British
Love it!
Australian/ Lebanese

APPENDIX D. iii. Unedited responses of Australian bird-watchers to an

open-ended question about bird-watching in Australia
Topic
No. of
responses
Examples
access
conservation &
public education
13
please ensure that birding areas are accessible to all people, even semi-disabled people like
me!
Greater enforcement of dog restrictions in would considerably contribute to certain
shorebird conservation (2 respondents mentioned this)
Birds Australia should be actively trying to affiliate all minor clubs for strength, for
conservation, insurance etc.
bird-watching needs to be promoted in school & younger & older people encouraged to
undertake, which will help develop understanding of need to preserve environment
disgusted at conservative birders who, like non-unionists, benefit from work of
conservationists, some ecotours & other tours included. GO GREENS & SOCIALIST
ALLIANCE
habitat conservation is the most important issue for bird-watchers - they must be proactive
in this field! (several others mentioned habitat clearing, and need for action)
expensive
great hobby,
great country
etc
13
promote it in primary schools - kids love birds and often go camping with school. Run bird
ID classes for teachers
bird-watching & ecotours way too expensive because of accommodation/food. Those
happy to pay a guide but self-contained not catered for
we are so lucky to have so much habitat remaining, great diversity and relatively high
abundance of birds than other countries. How many cities have parrots in the suburbs like
Melbourne, Sydney etc.?
best birds in the world
fantastic way to enrich travel
a great pastime, hobby, meet loads of interesting people, good exercise
a wonderful, relaxing, healthy pastime, giving peace & contentment from the wonders of
the detail given by our Creator through nature. Praise be to Him!
great focus when travelling and helps to link foliage/habitat, botany, geology & other
sciences. Opportunity to meet and make new like-minded friends
In a time when life moves at such a fast pace, and one is bombarded with issues and an
abundance of info, it would be just too difficult to cope without
love it!
what a great place for birds! France virtually none in comparison; NZ a few
hilarious/amazing one; Canada often v cold; lucky in Aust with variety of habitats & birds
available
information (or
lack of)
Birding-aus list server on Internet is a good source of info on recent interesting sightings;
local government has failed to recognise the value of preserving & promoting natural
habitat
some books should be updated, not just reprinted, e.g. The complete guide to finding birds
in Australia 1996 repr1997, Where to find birds in Australia (Bransbury)1987 repr 1992
I think it's becoming easier to find many previously difficult species as there's now so much
good information readily available
info panels in NP's nature trails etc on birds are good. Thrilled that tourist info offices give
birdlists for local areas & suggest where to bird-watch in NSW - eg Mudgee, Orange,
Dubbo all did this
55

Topic
No. of
responses
organisations
survey form
Examples
the long distances to cover to get anywhere make specific info on what is where, and when,
very important
we need to spread the message to general population - signs with clear pictures of birds
likely to be seen
Easy to do - lots of helpful people, not always easy for new birdos to find bird-watching
groups
You should have questions about people's willingness to view caged birds in zoos & bird
parks (e.g. S'pore, KL) or even pet shops. A contentious issue for some!
found the questions difficult to answer - were the questions compiled by a bird-watcher?
[author's note: yes it was, but questions were intended also for non-birders (or very
occasional birders), and also to include topics of relevance to conservation and tourism]
tourism
10
going by number of bird tours & resorts in bird club magazine, birds are well catered for
it is great, very rewarding, & if I need help there are superb "expert" guides around the
country
it is impossible to get regional bird guides. Every regional tourist information centre should
have lists, guides to local public areas. Australia-wide guides are very good.
given huge nos of bird-watchers worldwide - especially US & UK, Australia should tap
into this market , which would help better awareness education about preserving bird
populations
a clear need for rural landowners in remote central & western Queensland to understand the
value of & cater to the very large & lucrative international bird-watching tourism market
Need more advertising & info about what tours can be taken, especially in areas outside
major transit areas, so residents can also enjoy
birds not major

focus
not enough recognition by local authorities - e.g. sewage works

I don't visit places specifically for birds - they are part of the whole environment
I enjoy touring Australia and if birds are in the scenery I am looking I don't take much
notice of them being there most of the time
wherever I go I like to be able to identify any species (bird or animal) that I see
great hobby,
great country
etc
56
13
mainly interested in plants - interest in bids is part of that. Just getting started, haven't
absorbed the 'culture', not sure I want to get fanatical, but can spend a day happily birdwatching in an interesting area
we enjoy looking at birds but not fanatics; usually look wherever we are; camping is a good
way to get involved without undue effort
too strenuous
we are so lucky to have so much habitat remaining, great diversity and relatively high
abundance of birds than other countries. How many cities have parrots in the suburbs like
Melbourne, Sydney etc.?
best birds in the world
great focus when travelling and helps to link foliage/habitat, botany, geology & other
sciences. Opportunity to meet and make new like-minded friends
In a time when life moves at such a fast pace, and one is bombarded with issues and an
abundance of information, it would be just too difficult to cope without it
a wonderful, relaxing, healthy pastime, giving peace & contentment from the wonders of
the detail given by our Creator through nature. Praise be to Him!
fantastic way to enrich travel
love it!

APPENDIX E: Summary of features showing the strongest differences

between the five major clusters of respondents identified by the PATN
dendrogram.
Very high scores (over 0.7) are in bold, highest score for each question underlined, and lowest score for each
question italicised.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Major differences (>0.5 difference

between max and min mean responses)
Have kept pets
Feeding birds gives good photographic
opportunities
0.56
0.29
0.78
0.11
0.42
0.36
0.27
0.26
0.60
-0.13
Would willingly camp to see new bird
-0.13
0.21
0.45
0.33
0.51
Usually carry binoculars

Can identify many females and
juveniles
Would like to be able to identify all
Aust birds
0.18
-0.24
0.62
0.17
0.86
0.49
0.83
0.30
0.82
2.40
0.11
0.37
0.47
071
0.83
0.36
0.29
-0.34
0.5
0.52
0.07
0.64
0.70
0.35
0.88
0.74
0.27
0.79
0.79
0.32
4.48
4.62
4.53
4.67
4.84
Interested in bird ecology

Bird-watching is favourite activity
Keep a life-list of birds seen
Age group
57

References
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59

Authors
Ronda Green
Ronda Green, Bsc (Hons) PhD is a research wildlife ecologist who has mainly worked on frugiviory and seed
dispersal and on the effects of human modification of habitat. Since 1999 she has also conducted research and
written reports for Sustainable Tourism CRC., especially the effects of wildlife tourism on wildlife. She is the
founder and director of Araucaria Ecotours, which began in 1997 and specialises in quality interpretation of
wildlife and ecosystems, and a vice-president of Wildlife Tourism Australia.
Darryl Jones
Darryl Jones, MNR, PhD, GDEd, is Associate Professor at Griffith University (Nathan) and deputy director of
the Environmental Futures Centre. His primary research interests are urban ecology and wildlife management,
urbanisation and the way certain species are adapting to this process, megapodes, corvids and the implications of
garden bird feeding. He has also been involved with and published reports for the wildlife research program of
Sustainable Tourism CRC.
60
Travel and tourism industry

Academic researchers
Government policy makers
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Uptake of research nding by business,
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outcomes from the relevant STCRC research; develops
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Centre (STCRC) is established under the
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STCRC is the worlds leading scientific
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STCRCs objectives are to enhance:

the contribution of long-term scientific and

technological research and innovation
to Australias sustainable economic and
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outcomes of economic, environmental or
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PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF BIRD-WATCHING

Ronda J Green and Darryl N Jones

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

STCRC Tech Report Feedback

Copyright CRC for Sustainable Tourism Pty Ltd 2010

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTED TO BIRD-WATCHERS________________________________ 43

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Investigate the diversity and common features amongst bird-watching tourists

Questionnaire distributed throughout Australia for bird-watching tourists

The bird-watching tourist community tended to be dominated by well-educated middle-age to elderly

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Aims and scope of the current study

The bird-watching tourist population by:

What bird-watching tourists want to see and do by:

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

The role of the tourism industry in bird-watching by:

Attitudes towards conservation by

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Questionnaires for bird-watchers

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Questionnaire for bird-watching guides

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Figure 2: Percentage of respondents in different kinds of employment or study. N =157

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

kept other pets

kept pet birds

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Principal components analysis

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

0.26-0.5 0.5-0.75 0.76-1.0

'dedicated birder' score

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

0.26-0.5 0.5-0.75 0.76-1.0

'dedicated birder' score

Figure 6: Relationship between groups 1 and 2 of Table 7. R2 = 0.09

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Table 9: Clustering of respondents by a common fusion dendrogram

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

groups identified by dendrogram

What birds do bird-watching tourists want to see?

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Watched birds only in Australia

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Bird-watching locality, no specific bird mentioned

large birds (cassowary, emu, bustard etc.)

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

How do bird-watchers decide where to go bird-watching?

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

how to decide on where to watch birds

PRACTICES, NEEDS AND ATTITUDES OF

Natural history organisation

Books (other than travel)